Libido
by Trinity Effect
Summary: "I can't control my body anymore; my veins...they're burning…" He closed his eyes, swallowing his pride as he continued. He never talked this much."And the only time it stops is when I indulge in these foreign thoughts in my head." So he kissed her.
1. Chapter 1

_Just doing some editing and revisions in preparation for new updates, please wait patiently until my classes are over! Also my computer crashed and I lost everything I had written, my outlines and my other stories I would have posted so that's another reason why I haven't updated in a while. (4/13/12)_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

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Libido-

1 : instinctual psychic energy that in psychoanalytic theory is derived from primitive biological urges (as for sexual pleasure or self-preservation) and that is expressed in conscious activity  
2 : sexual drive

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**Chapter One**

_Song: Paradise Lost, Hollywood Undead_

What the hell had the Uchiha done?

The devastation was total; not an inch of his laboratories were salvageable.

The South hideout had been stripped clean, laboratory equipment, test subjects and prisoners, gone just like that. Nature had begun claiming it back after the long period of absence; moss and plants had started putting down roots and the walls were starting to crumble under the pressure. Anybody who stumbled into the labyrinth would have just thought it was a structure long since abandoned.

The East hideout was totally decimated. It wasn't even possible to find the entrance for the average shinobi but once he had located it and entered he found that each room had been blasted with explosives. Again there were no bodies.

And the West- the one he was presently standing in- was a huge hole in the ground. No rocks, no walls, no ceilings. Just a huge crater took its place, looking as if the gods had gotten angry and took it out on the barren land. Nothing was left.

Orochimaru had taught the boy to cover his tracks well.

Almost too well.

In the end it wouldn't matter though, he wasn't Orochimaru's right hand man for nothing; he had his own tricks up his sleeve. Uchiha Sasuke may have thought he wiped every vestige of Orochimaru from the surface of this planet but he had not done a thorough job or he wouldn't be standing there in the rumble of his former existence mourning the loss of his valuable research and studies.

Arrogance would be the Uchiha's ultimate downfall.

It was almost laughable, the dehabilitating affect the Uchiha inflicted upon himself with sheer arrogance and pride. And he came to his master expecting training and a quick fix to all his faults.

If only he wasn't so arrogant to realize he had been instilling it all upon himself.

_He will pay for this._

It was so much more than his blatant disregard to others' life's works; it was the principle of the thing.

Uchiha Sasuke must suffer for what he had done.

Orochimaru was dead but not gone.

All because of Uchiha Sasuke's arrogance.

Maybe it was his own arrogance that allowed him to think that he would be able to control his master's immortal prowess. It had been a last ditch effort to save the only semblance of a family he had left.

And now with each day that passed by, with each breath, each heartbeat, he could feel that slithering snake grow more powerful under his skin. Thoughts unbidden riddled his thoughts and plagued his mind with nothing but the vengeance only a true snake could possess. _Kill him…take me to him…Kill him…_

Trifle with a snake and the bite will kill you.

Or make you suffer a worse punishment.

_I will cripple Sasuke, bind him, paralyze him with his own body, his own mind. Then maybe he will understand that weakness may come from within as well_.

Arrogance was something the two had in common.

_Well then Uchiha Sasuke, think of it as a lesson from an old sempai._

OoOoOoOoO

It had been a full two years since Sasuke had come back.

It wasn't like he had an option but after those stupid, stubborn Konoha shinobi put him in isolated confinement for the better part of a year when he was down for the count he had no way to escape.

Konoha Shinobi just loved to play God didn't they?

He pretended to not remember how he got there whenever they tried to question him but he was fully aware; he just learned to keep all information to himself because he would never know when it would prove useful.

He had met Naruto when he was still weak from injuries. It was his mistake; he wasn't being careful and monitoring the area surrounding him like he should have.

And suddenly Naruto was right in front of him spouting his 'best friend' nonsense.

Later after revising the event in his head while in isolation, he realized he had been on the outskirts of Konoha without even realizing it.

Sasuke would admit he lost that battle with Naruto.

He held out a long time though and did some serious damage to Naruto; enough to land him in the hospital for three weeks. But in the end it was not enough and when he finally succumbed to his wounds he was taken captive and punished as seen fit by the council.

Damn each and every one of them.

After the hellish year in isolation he was allowed to live a semi-normal life in the village but was always monitored by ANBU.

And now, a year after that with impeccable behavior and not one complaint his probation period was over as of yesterday.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel more bound than before.

Konoha life was stifling for him. He was reminded of his family's tumultuous end, of people he had tried to kill, people he hated with a passion and a judicial system that was borderline self rewarding.

It was enough to make his nauseous.

Uchiha Sasuke would be the first to tell you he was not a good person.

How could he not know with everyone giving him dirty looks and talking about him behind his back?

He had killed, pillaged, and sacrificed many lives on a whim for his own self gain.

He had defected from the village where people loved him and wanted only what was best for him.

He returned the favor by plotting to kill each and every one of them.

Yes, Uchiha Sasuke would be the first to tell you he was not a good person. And he would be the last one to tell you that he was actually trying to be good.

He was by no means doing it in leaps and strides; he kept his sentence of one year probation without complaint or problem. He had not left the village within that time. He had not connived with enemy shinobi on how to off the busty Hokage who annoyed him to no end. He had even tried to be civilized with the people of the village even though they all refused to give him the same courtesy.

He hadn't done anything significant to show he was trying to assimilate back into village life.

Yet here he was first day off probation walking to the Hokage tower for a summoning.

The Hokage had told him that the only reason he was allowed back into the village was because of Naruto.

He hated to think he would ever be indebted to that blonde idiot.

But he knew the real reason for his death sentence being lifted. He was officially the last Uchiha remaining, the former pride of Konoha. He knew his life was preserved because the clan leaders had met and complained to the Hokage that they were dying off and it was important that the culture of Konoha be kept intact. The clans never stopped reminding him of his debt.

He hated to think he owed them either.

Then again it could have been those damned council members who thought they could play 'Life' with real Konoha Shinobi. Now that they had officially killed his clan what harm could one lone Uchiha do to them?

They were very lucky though they probably would never realize it. They were lucky Uchiha Sasuke was tired of fighting, tired of being on the run.

He was tired of hating.

Sasuke glared at the ANBU posted at the doors to the Hokage's office as he made his way towards them. Their eyes, although hidden, followed him along with the pasty white masks of different animal forms.

"Hokage-sama." Sasuke entered the room and bowed respectfully before taking his position in front of the oak desk where his higher up was seated, head in her hands. At his entrance however, Tsunade had perked up and a smirk made its way over her face.

"Ah, Sasuke how very nice it is to see you."

Sasuke decided her words were not important enough to comment on so he just stared silently straight ahead.

Slightly ruffled from his brush off, Tsunade stood and made her way around the desk only to shove a stack of high priority papers onto the floor and seat herself in its place.

Sasuke's cheek twitched.

"So…" Tsunade started slowly and Sasuke decided to interrupt.

"Hokage-sama what was your reason for summoning me?" Sasuke just wanted this meeting over with so he could go back to brooding or training in private and away from the judging eyes.

Tsunade sighed

"Well Sasuke, you know that you're probation period is over as of today. What's better was your impeccable behavior." Tsunade smiled. "Because of this, the council has decided to formally allow you back into normal Konoha life."

So now they wanted to pretend that he was an upstanding citizen?

"The reason I called you here today was to congratulate you on your transition back into Konoha and to show you that you have my full trust." Sasuke's eyes alighted with interest but he made no motion to hint at it.

Tsunade stood and circled Sasuke slowly as she spoke, commending him on his self control; she knew he did not trust _her_ and it took a true shinobi to allow an enemy to get behind them and not want to follow their every movement.

She stopped directly in front of him, trying to get him to look her in the eyes but he continued to stare straight ahead not even flinching at the closeness.

She sighed and lowered her head.

"Sasuke I know you hate us," _More than you will ever know. _"For doing this to you. But it is for the best. I would rather you hate me a thousand times than to see you fall for what you believed to be right. That is the epitome of what we teach our shinobi in Konoha; so why should you be an exception?"

_Don't believe her she's tricking you, tricking you!_

Tsunade seemed to recollect herself and the gruffness of her 'Hokage' voice returned. "Tomorrow you will come here at dawn and will accept your first mission outside the village walls. And depending on your success, you will be promoted to Jonin." Sasuke's control broke and he met eyes with Tsunade as if to ask 'are you insane?' She smiled.

"Well to village life Uchiha Sasuke, you are dismissed. Go be sulk somewhere else."

Tsunade would have been sure she had heard wrong if she wasn't straining her ears to hear the nondescript and low whisper as the brooding man bowed and turned to leave.

"Thank you."

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke was at Hokage tower at dawn the next morning, packed and ready for his first mission in a long time.

He was not dressed in the traditional Konoha canvas vest and Konoha headband, quite the opposite. He had decided he had every right to not show his commitment to any village -he may not be a missing Nin anymore but it was already enough that he returned what more could they expect?

No, Sasuke was dressed in a sleeveless black tunic-like shirt tied closed at his waist with the Uchiha symbol (the only alliance he would ever show) ever present on his back along with his Chokuto. He had his kunai pouch tied at his hip and wore bandages on his forearms.

Those weren't just for show; they hid the many summoning seals burned into his very skin.

Learning from Orochimaru was the most excruciating, painful, hellish existence he ever experienced and yet it was the only time he really _improved_. And he had.

He _was_ an S-ranked missing Nin after all.

And apparently only ex-missing Nin knew how to be on time.

The ANBU on shift this early in the morning had let him into the Hokage's office and told him to sit tight and wait for her and the rest of his mission members.

So they didn't trust him _fully._

He didn't care; at least he would be out of this cramped and depressing atmosphere. He would be able to be a little more comfortable, not worry about mocking looks and hateful glares. Though he acted as if he was unmovable he still had a heart; even if it was buried under years and years of hate and killing intentions. He was human too.

After fifteen minutes of waiting in boredom Tsunade shuffled into the room in her usual clothes though slightly ruffled. She had bags under her eyes and seemed not all there (if her sitting in her seat facing the windows was any indication).

Muttering to herself and pushing herself awkwardly around only to hold her stomach as if in pain, she took quite a bit of time in acknowledging Sasuke. "G'morning…" She mumbled. "I always forget to schedule my send offs _around '_all-you-can-drink' nights…" Sasuke didn't make any motion to acknowledge her statement but couldn't help but wonder: This _is the Hokage…?_

Tsunade still hadn't looked up at him, her head in her hands. "What time is it?"

"Thirty minutes after sunrise Hokage-sama." An ANBU with the face of a bird answered quickly and precisely, kneeling.

"Way too early…"Tsunade replied and sat up."Are you the only one Sasuk-"

"Tsunade-sama!" A knock followed before the door was opened to reveal bubble gum pink hair.

_So Sakura is on this mission._

Said girl walked in and Sasuke did not miss the way her eyes sought him out for a brief moment before she turned her full attention to bowing and apologizing for being late.

"Hai, hai Sakura-chan." Tsunade waved away her apologies. "You're not the last one to arrive anyways…stop apologizing so _loudly_…"

"Tsunade-sama…you should realize your own limits…" Sakura scolded lightly.

"Whatever…"

Just then the door opened once again. Tsunade instantly sat up. "Ah! Hinata-chan did the ANBU reach you in time?"

The petite indigo haired girl smiled gently to Tsunade as she entered the room and without noticing Sasuke like most other women, moved straight to the Hokage's side. "Hai Tsunade-sama, I brought the herb remedy as you asked. I'm sorry for being late, the herbs took longer to mix then I had planned…"

Tsunade held her hand out and took the vial Hinata produced from her pack. She opened it as if a hopeless addict trying to get her next fix and brought the vial to her nose and inhaled.

The difference in her pallor was almost instantaneous.

The renewed Hokage moved to return the vial to its owner but retracted her hand back. "Sorry Hina-chan but I might need this again." Hinata and Sakura both giggled. Sasuke just shifted his weight.

"Oi! Baa-chan!" A voice drifted to them and the Hokage rolled her shoulders, showing her renewed strength.

"Just let that idiot come in here and I'll show him old…"

"Baa-chan! I'm her-oomph!" Naruto ran into Sakura's raised fist.

"_.To…!_" Naruto cringed on the ground. "Don't call Tsunade-sama old! And why are you so late?"

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan! But I couldn't help it I just wanted a little snack before I came…"

"Naruto enough, we've already wasted precious time." Tsunade quipped and silenced the group. The four shinobi stood in a line before their Hokage, hands behind their back. Naruto mumbled a quick apology.

"Okay, as you know, you've been called here today for an important mission." Tsunade pulled out a scroll and stood. "This scroll," She tossed it in the air and caught it. "Is very important and must be taken to Kumo. No questions asked. I will be appointing Hinata as in charge of it." She handed the scroll to said person. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why.

"You will have a time limit of two weeks. Do whatever is needed to get this mission done, it is of the utmost priority and is a level A-ranked mission." Sasuke eyes widened at the high ranking. _On my first mission?_

"This isn't my usual pressuring for a job well done; a war may start if this is not finished on time. This is why I have chosen my top shinobi for this mission; the Legendary _New_ Sannin." She gave Sasuke a look.

Sasuke noticed instantly that she did not include Hinata. "As soon as you are dismissed you will start on your mission. Please do not make a mistake." Everyone nodded. "Well then, you may be on your way. Dismissed."

OoOoOoOoO

As soon as Sasuke walked through the gates of Konoha it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could finally breathe. He took a deep breath as if to prove this fact.

Sasuke heard a soft laugh from behind him and he turned sharply towards it. Hinata was covering her mouth, a blush staining her cheeks. "Sometimes I feel like that too." She smiled at him. He looked away.

He decided he liked her straight forward, simple conversation. She didn't expect him to answer and she didn't muddle the one sided conversation with pointless chatter. She got straight to the point short and sweet.

It seemed those words personified her to a T as well.

He remembered her from the Academy days, the shy, awkward Hyuuga heiress who always seemed to stutter. She seemed to have grown out of that shy stage though the blush and soft voice were still there. The only major differences in her looks were her hair was longer, her baby fat had receded, and her breasts. Definitely the breasts.

She still wore a jacket -though better tailored and lavender- and pants; considerably conservative compared to the revealing clothes worn by Sakura and Ino and most of the female shinobi population. She wasn't exceptionally pretty but Sasuke could tell it was because she didn't try to be beautiful and not for any other reason.

He had seen her a few times around the village and she was always pleasant to him, greeting him with a 'good morning Sasuke-kun' or a polite 'how are you Sasuke-kun?' It was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the villagers' cruel words (though he knew he deserved it) or the raving fan girls. He was indifferent to her, she didn't spark his interest, didn't annoy him or try to get his attention, so he simply didn't bother.

He decided he didn't mind her all that much.

On the other hand…

Sakura had fallen back as she noticed Hinata was trailing along with Sasuke and inquired with a smile,

"Hinata-chan, why don't you go up ahead with Naruto-kun and keep a look out?" Hinata smiled and replied that she would be happy to before speeding up to do just that.

Sakura fell into step with him and glanced his way every once in a while with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. Sasuke stared straight ahead not acknowledging her.

Sakura had really grown. She was a powerful kunoichi and medic as he had seen two years ago when she saved him after his run in with Naruto. She was to put it simply, gorgeous. Even a man such as Sasuke could not deny that fact. She flaunted her curves with her pink skirt and form fitting shirt and she kept her whole body in perfect condition; even though they had been running for the better part of a day she looked as if she had just gone to the spa.

Sasuke knew that Sakura had not gotten over him even after all these years. When he had been released from confinement Tsunade told him that Naruto had been trying to get him back because he promised Sakura he would.

Why that stupid Dobe would go out of the way to help his own crush get back to hers Sasuke would never understand.

Sasuke had to admit that Naruto, though still goofy, had grown to be an admirable man.

And sometimes that hurt him because he felt that he no longer had the right to call such a man his best friend.

And yet this man still considered him a saint in his eyes while the rest of the villagers saw him for what he was: a menace. Sometimes he wished he could just get it through Naruto's head that he wasn't as good of a person as he thought, that he was no longer the twelve year old boy who competed with him.

He was a nineteen year old that had committed so many hideous crimes he would go to the lower depths of hell for the rest of eternity. He had accepted that.

So why couldn't the stupid blonde?

But Sasuke knew that he secretly lived on fact that Naruto refused to see his faults. When even he had lost all hope in himself it was nice to know that there was still some hope invested in him even if it was futile.

Sasuke watched the backs of Hinata and Naruto as they laughed together about something most likely stupid. Naruto was motioning exuberantly and Hinata giggled into her hand, a bright smile on her face.

Hinata meant "towards the sun" and Naruto embodied its light with his bright blonde hair, sky blue eyes and loud orange clothes. It seemed these two were perfect for one another. Neither showed any dislike for him, both smiling and acting as if Uchiha Sasuke was not the traitor that he was and only a comrade who had worked for something he believed in.

Sasuke couldn't help but pity them. And envy them.

As Sasuke thought to himself listlessly he noticed a sudden movement from Hinata and honed in on her.

She had suddenly jerked her head to the right, eyes wide in surprise before determination encompassed them. With a silent movement of her lips (by habit he assumed) the veins in her temples became engorged and she whipped her head straight ahead to get a full view of their surroundings.

If this wasn't enough to worry him -for the Dobe and Sakura didn't notice this slight change in action from the white-eyed girl- said girl's nostrils flared and he knew something was wrong. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder and caught his eye.

Her hands began moving at a rapid pace behind her back and the only reason he was able to catch it was because his sharingan had activated as soon as he detected the subtle changes in Hinata.

_Enemy nin approaching. _More signs. _Thirty-nine degrees right; five. Sixty degrees left; three. Directly behind; seven._

_Oh shit._ Sasuke thought as Hinata signed to remain oblivious.

"Sakura." His hushed voice and sharp tone instantly tipped her off.

"Trouble?" Sasuke nodded discreetly. "How many?"

"So far fifteen." Sasuke caught Naruto's wide eyes. They were full of some unknown emotion as he gave him a nod as well.

Though Sasuke didn't want to admit it he was starting to get excited. It would be his first battle in over two years. He had been bred to fight, grown to fight, lived to fight. So after so long…how could he not indulge in the feel of adrenaline coursing through his veins and the euphoria of exertion?

Hinata's hand moved once again. _Interception; one minute._

Sasuke couldn't help the twitching in his hands and the tenseness in his muscles as the time limit grew closer; the anticipation was almost too much for him to handle.

He fingered the hilt of his Chokuto.

His body was positively strumming and the want to feel his blade pierce flesh was a palpable thing. Regardless of the meaning behind such feelings, it was the simple concept behind the action that brought it foremost to his mind.

At those moments long ago when he lived a life of revenge and hatred he was never tied down, never forced into what he believed was slavery by higher ups. He had been free.

And though that freedom came with its repercussions, he was like a man who had had a taste of ambrosia. It was intoxicating and lethal.

He heard a rustle of leaves to his right before a blade clashed against his own.

It was at this point that Sasuke smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever.

And it was not a smile of happiness.

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_Okay Revisions for this chapter complete. Mostly grammar mistakes, weird wordings and deleting a buttload of commas that weren't supposed to be there lmao. I don't revise when I post the chapters because I know what I mean to write and don't catch them. Now is the best time to do this though when I haven't read this in over a year._

_Trinity Effect_


	2. Chapter 2

_Revised. (4/15/2012)_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

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**Chapter Two**

_Song: Life Burns, Apocalyptica_

Sasuke blocked a kunai thrown in his direction.

A man soon followed, throwing a punch to his gut that was easily manipulated to throw the man to the side as another shinobi met his blade.

Reaching within his pouch, Sasuke produced five shuriken and threw it at his assailant but he only hit wood. Sasuke moved his blade directly behind him just in time to block a blow to his neck.

These shinobi meant business.

As Sasuke continued to battle he tried to scope out the rest of his teammates and see what condition they were in. It appeared Naruto and Sakura were each battling four shinobi fairly well; Naruto was easily able to overpower his opponents with his copious amounts of shadow clones and Sakura was using her brute-like strength to cause fissure in the ground and knock her opponents off their feet. But he couldn't find Hinata.

Deflecting the enemies blows as he continued to search for her; Sasuke grew frustrated as he realized she was not in the immediate vicinity. Her chakra imprint hinted at her position a little further into the forest.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke sought an opening and quickly darted off towards her direction making sure his attackers followed close behind. Hinata had the scroll and he would not let his first mission be a failure.

Unwrapping the bandages from around his wrists Sasuke bit into his thumbs and ran the proceeding blood along the length of twin seals on each of his forearms.

The two shinobi didn't even realize what hit them.

Turning to make sure his assailants were no longer on his trail, Sasuke sped up towards Hinata's location.

The girl was a fool really. How did she even allow the other ninjas to pry her away from the group? Sasuke cursed her as her chakra fluctuated at dangerous levels.

Hinata knew the shinobi were slowly isolating her from her team members, it was so painfully obviously she had allowed it to continue just to figure out what they were planning. It was ironic that five of the men decided to go towards the weakest link even though it would have been more efficient to take out the strongest fighters first. Hinata knew they had no reason to target her specifically; they did not know she had the scroll just yet and even her and her teammates didn't know the value of the documents.

As of yet the men were attacking in pairs, using primarily taijutsu and petty tricks while the others kept their distance and watched warily. _They are expecting me to do something…_

But how would they know that she _could_ do something?

On top of that, the men were not skilled in the ways of hiding their chakra levels; at least three of them were ranked jounin or higher from what she could tell and most decently strong ninjas wouldn't let their opponent get such information right off the bat.

Things just weren't adding up.

These men were obviously aware of her abilities; they knew not to get too close to her and knew that the two things she truly lacked were stamina and strength in taijustu (She didn't generally use them in her attacks for the gentle fist style never touched the body).

So what was their motive in all of this?

Hinata was knocked down with a well placed kick behind her knees and she scurried to stand up, her breath beginning to become labored. Even though she knew they were waiting for her to do something more than trade blows it seemed she would have to attack despite the consequences.

With closed eyes Hinata moved into the gentle fist offensive position and took a deep breath.

This seemed to be what the men wanted because they shifted into fighting stances with smirks on their face. They were at a stalemate: Hinata refused to attack first, her eyes darting from one man to another waiting for an attack but the men were keeping their distance trying to gauge her reach.

The only warning she had was the shifting of a man back on his heels before he rushed her. Another man spindly and tall followed into a run behind him.

Hinata breathed in deeply once again and crouched lower in anticipation of their movements, her hands running through signs as if it were her only hope.

"_Juho Soshiken_! (Twin Lion Fist)" Hinata yelled, charging forward to meet the men with her chakra infused name based weapons. She hit both men full force in the chest and knocked them to the ground.

The men didn't get up.

Hinata panted as she held on to her side gasping to regain her breath before the next men could attack.

_I haven't perfected the move yet…I've used up too much chakra. I should have refined the chakra faster before releasing it. I won't last another ten minutes and they've gotten me alone. _She counted her graces though; at least she had been able to take two of the five men out.

One of the other men, a huge burly man licked his lips greedily and grinned widely, showing off a set of yellow stained teeth as the remaining ninjas circled the lone kunoichi. None of the men had yet to utter word to her or one another.

_These men aren't making any sense_… Hinata thought dismissively as she tried to get back into a stance to fight.

She knew they had weakened her on purpose, they were trying to whittle her away and it was working. She could normally use about four jutsus on par with her _Juho_ _Soshiken_ before depleting her chakra but now she was only able to produce one before almost losing all her chakra.

She was getting desperate and it was causing her to slip up.

Hinata's eyes darted among the men suspiciously. _One of them could be draining my chakra_… But even using her Byakugan she saw no changes in chakra levels in the men. _Even if all my chakra is gone I'll need to muster up enough for just one more. I have to protect the scroll and myself._

The men seemed to notice her conviction and they jumped to the chance of an opening all three attacking her with kunai and then following them close behind.

"_Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō_!" Hinata cried as braced herself against the men. The kunai they threw fell harmlessly outside her chakra boundary and Hinata struggled to keep pumping chakra through her palms.

The men again seemed to know what she was doing and simply skid to a stop and watched her warily as the last of her chakra left her hands. She collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees breathing heavily.

_I guess this is it…not even a full day and I've already lost the scroll and jeopardized the mission…._

Hinata tried to stand but it was no use. The men were prowling towards her triumphant grins across their faces.

Hinata looked up in time to see the burly guy -the leader she supposed- lean down and pull her up by her hair. She heard a scream barely able to recognize it as her own before the pressure was suddenly gone and she fell face first in the ground.

Hinata tried her hardest to lift her head and see exactly what it was that had happened to make the man let her go but her strength failed her. She cursed her weakness as she blacked out.

OoOoOoOoO

She woke up with a start.

"Hey there Hinata-chan, how are you feeling…?" Sakura called gently to her as she checked over the petite brunette's vitals. Hinata could only muster a groan as she moved a hand to her throbbing head.

Sakura chuckled. "I would feel the same after using up all of my chakra too." She deemed her patient healthy and held a hand for Hinata to get up. She took the hand gratefully.

"Where are Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun…?" Hinata rasped, clearing her throat.

"They went to get rooms in the town just down the stream, they said they'll come get us when they're done," Sakura brushed off her clothes. "I thought it would be better if we all rested up for the night, you especially."

Hinata hung her head sadly. "I'm sorry that I've bothered you all…" Sakura blushed and shook her head vehemently.

"No, no Hinata-chan! I didn't mean it like that. You did a really great job protecting the scroll really! You had to defend yourself off from more enemies than the rest of us." Hinata smiled gently.

"Thank you Sakura-chan. What happened after I lost consciousness? Something had to have happened-" Hinata began.

"Oh, well…"Sakura blushed again but for a totally different reason. "Sasuke…Sasuke-kun defeated the rest of the men…" She twirled her bubble-gum pink hair around her finger.

"Oh…Well then I should probably thank hi-"

"Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan! We're back!" Naruto yelled happily as he stumbled in the foliage. Hinata couldn't help but giggle as Sakura shook her head in exasperation and mumbled, "Loser…"

A bright mop of sunny yellow followed his voice and the blue eyed boy grinned from ear to ear. "So we got two rooms, we'll have to decide who rooms with who!" Hinata nodded and smiled but Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder for her crush.

"Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned, totally disregarding Naruto's words. Hinata watched as the smile lost some of its shine.

"Oh that guy?" Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "He is disposing of the bodies."

"Oh…" Sakura stated, disheartened.

"Ah Naruto-kun, you were saying…?" Hinata decided to cut in before Naruto could lose more heart.

Just then Sasuke appeared into the clearing looking a little worse for wear, his brows crashing down in pensiveness.

"Oi Teme we got to figure out how we're doing rooming arrangements!" He beckoned for the brunette who just sent him a glare as he went about rewrapping the seals tattooed on his arms. Hinata shuddered at the thought of going to such extreme lengths for power. Just what did he do to dispose of the bodies?

"Well fine then!" Naruto pouted, "I vote for me and Sakura-chan to be in a room together and Hinata-chan and Teme!" Sakura instantly backlashed.

"What? Why would I want to room with you? I vote for me and Sasuke-kun!"

Hinata cleared her throat. "I'll go with whomever, I don't have a preference…"_ Naruto-kun would be nice but he wants to be with Sakura_…

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he realized he was the only one to hear Hinata's statement because the other, more rambunctious two of the group were battling it out at the top of their lungs. He really didn't give a rat's tail who he roomed with unless it was Sakura. Though it would have been more acceptable for the girls to room together, Naruto would probably make him go deaf by the end of the night. Hinata was quiet, pretty much left him alone and she was in possession of the scroll (though he could not, for the life of him figure out why the scroll would be under her possession when she couldn't even hold her own against enemy ninjas). At least Hinata was bearable and wouldn't try to feel him up.

"Sakura rooms with Naruto and Hinata rooms with me. That is final."

"S-Sasuke-kun! Why are you going to room with her?" Sakura whined and Hinata cringed at the slight dig. She knew Sakura didn't mean it.

"Because Hinata has the scroll and we need our best defense to protect it. You and Naruto would not be able to stop a huge range of attacks; your attacks are repetitive and only physical. I could stop them with my Sharingan. That is why."

And the glare he shot all three of them instantly made it set in stone. There would be no playing around when Sasuke was on a mission.

"O-Okay that's it then…" Naruto stuttered, his eyes still on Sasuke. He shook his head to stabilize himself and then grinned happily as he realized he had gotten what he wanted.

OoOoOoOoO

It was fairly easy to get into the town and into the rooms for the night. Sasuke didn't really have to blend in anything except his clothes which were easy enough. Hinata used a henge to mask the color of her eyes as the two walked arm in arm into the village.

Although it was easy to get in it was also highly awkward for one Hyuuga Hinata. She had a perpetual blush on her face as she let Sasuke lead her towards the inn they were supposed to board at.

Just touching any boy would make Hinata blush; she was a self proclaimed introverted woman though she was not totally inept at conversation or medical curing. But Uchiha Sasuke? The man who was deemed the most dangerous man in all of Konoha? The stoic boy with whom she never had a real conversation with?

It took everything she had to keep up the act as husband and wife as they walked to their room and slipped inside. As soon as they got in Sasuke dropped his hand and Hinata's arm fell uselessly to her side.

The place was actually quite quaint. There was a bathroom to their right and a cute little cubby with a mini fridge and mini coffee maker. Further in the room there sat a TV on a bureau and across from that…

One bed.

Hinata looked to Sasuke to see if he was a startled as she was but he simply walked over to the right side, stepped on the back of his shoes to remove them, placed all of his weapons on the bedside table and promptly flopped out onto the bed.

This caught Hinata by surprise for many reasons. One, she never thought Sasuke would 'flop out' on anything. Two, she really did not think Sasuke would be okay with only one bed and having to share it with a woman. She had seen Sasuke with women; it never bode well so why was he okay with her being in the room?

Hinata decided to just forget it and preoccupy herself with getting ready for the night. Frankly she was drained from earlier in the day and all she needed was rest.

"Ano, I'll be taking a shower first…" Hinata voiced to her roommate.

"Hn." Hinata decided that was an 'I couldn't care less, do what you want.'

As she went through her usual nightly routine she heard the TV turning on. Sasuke seemed pretty relaxed. They had yet to really say more than ten words to one another in all of this time but who was she to complain? Even though Sasuke was undeniably very handsome he didn't hold the same appeal to her that Naruto did. And she was so very much devoted to her Naruto-kun that she had no reason to even think of Sasuke in a romantic way at all.

It may have been why he had chosen to room with her. She knew both Sakura and Naruto got on the ex-avenger's nerves.

When she finally ran out of things to do Hinata opened the door still slightly damp from her shower. She heard a loud knocking on the front door and went to answer it seeing as her roommate did not seem like he was ready to move at all.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried out happily and held up bags full of food. "We brought dinner!" He pushed past her calling for Sasuke.

"Sorry about this Hinata-chan, he was very insistent…" Sakura stated rather shyly. Hinata didn't think he was the only one to be insistent as the pink haired girl hurried to follow Naruto into the room.

Hinata sighed as she closed the door and leaned against it for a few moments, watching the three interact. They were so close and yet so far apart. It was sad the things Team Seven had to go through just because of the past and others' mistakes. Kiba and Shino knew how terrible she had felt for Team Seven and how she hoped nothing like that happened to her team. They were her best friends, she didn't know if she could stand the tension so how could the three of them; Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke keep the broken pieces taped together?

They were in a perpetual circle of hatred and sadness. If not because of the death of Sasuke's family then because of the love within the team.

Sakura loved Sasuke.

It was a known fact.

But it was also a known fact that Naruto loved Sakura.

And it was because of this circle of affection that Team Seven may never be complete. Hinata prayed that the three could come to some sort of understanding; it was unbearable for people like her on the outside to watch them destroy each other with their words and their uncontrollable emotions.

Sighing, Hinata went to eat feeling just a little left out. The three were presently sitting on the bed, cartons of food sitting in the middle already half eaten out of. For a second Hinata stood there surprised at the sight and it took her a while longer to move as she realized Sasuke was looking at her and holding out a plate.

"A-ah, thank you…" Hinata mumbled as she took the plate gently out of his hands. She had no idea Sasuke would actually be courteous to her.

After getting her food Hinata decided to sit out on the balcony, letting her legs dangle through the bars as she watched the town just begin to wake up. Lights and loud music made its way to her and she sighed again feeling just a little lowly of herself.

She couldn't help but feel disappointed -she was a jonin and yet she was still making stupid genin mistakes. And this mission didn't help her any. She was on a mission with the three most powerful shinobi Konoha had ever produced.

Sasuke, the ex-avenger who just recently became a part of Konoha again. A man of pure strength and power not only in himself but in his blood.

Sakura, the best medic Nin since Tsunade-sama herself. She could cure any ailment and splint any broken bone.

And Naruto.

He was the most powerful jinchuuriki ever it seemed. His presence seemed to demand attention and not just for his funky color choices. He was powerful, just and courageous.

She could never be on par with them.

Hinata was so involved in her thoughts she didn't realize the door opened and another person joined her on the terrace. Hinata startled when the tall frame leaned on the railing looking out into the night. She could faintly hear Naruto and Sakura arguing loudly just inside and knew that Sasuke liked the peace and quiet like herself.

She took a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me earlier today Sasuke-kun…" Hinata looked up expectantly but he didn't answer. Sighing again she turned away feeling slightly rejected just like her thank you.

"Why did Tsunade give you the scroll?" Hinata started at the stoic voice that broke through her reverie.

"E-eh?" She caught her bearings and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't even know the answer to that question."

Sasuke didn't answer for a while just staring out at the night sky. "You lie." Hinata looked up at him in surprise.

"I-I'm not lying." He turned to face her and watched her squirm for a few moments.

"But you're not telling the whole truth." Why was he being so talkative to her?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hinata turned away.

He didn't say anything for a long time after that. Hinata sighed in relief.

"This isn't a mission for the scroll is it?" It was framed as a statement. He had no doubt about that fact.

Hinata stilled at his words. "Ie."

"I'm sleeping on the floor." Hinata looked up in confusion but was met with Sasuke's back retreating into the room, Naruto and Sakura long gone. Hinata stayed out a little longer to put herself back together and once she had a grip on her quickly receding confidence she slipped into the room.

And just like Sasuke had said the bed was empty, a lone pillow and a blanket neatly placed atop and awaiting her.

Lying on ground near the wall was her dark eyed roommate. He didn't have a blanket and looked as if he were dead; not one sound escaped his lips.

Hinata made her way to the bed, getting ready to sleep all the while watching Sasuke even as she lay her head on her pillow. For someone hated so much by his own people, betrayed by his own people, he was surprisingly courteous and in tune to others emotions and feelings.

_Nothing gets past Uchiha Sasuke…_

OoOoOoOoO

The group was on their last leg of the journey to Kumo and Sasuke couldn't place the foreboding feeling in his bones.

He was becoming increasingly wary of the mission at hand; Hinata didn't give him a direct answer but she had pretty much agreed to the fact that this mission was not about the scroll Tsunade told them to take. What was the true incentive of this mission where even the ones involved couldn't know what they were getting themselves into?

And the men that attacked them a few days ago.

When Sasuke returned to the clearing in which Hinata had taken two of the men down (There was no evidence of the three he had killed) he found something that…intrigued him.

No one would notice it at first glance but it was easy for someone as thorough as him. The bodies were already decaying at an abnormal rate of speed than of a just dead body meaning the bodies were dead for a while. Approximately five days from what he could deduce.

He only knew one man with the ability to bring the dead back to 'life'.

That fact that he found the bodies meant that he only wanted to give Sasuke a warning.

I'm alive and I'm kicking.

As the group approached the gates to Kumo Hinata stopped them with a hand and turned to speak with them.

"Ano, we can't assume that Kumo will be…hostile, but we cannot rule it our either. What are we going to do about that?"

Naruto and Sakura looked to Sasuke instantly. "Ne, Sasuke, what do you recommend doing?"

Sasuke glared at the group. "Hn." He scoffed as if to say 'Why're you asking me?'

"But Sasuke you're the one best suited for missions like this! Come on, give us some pointers! Put your years as a missing ninja to use!" Sasuke's eyes steeled as they turned to acknowledge Naruto's blunt statement.

"Don't talk about things you know nothing of." Sasuke hissed, getting into Naruto's face. Naruto didn't back off and just glared back.

"I said nothing wrong." Naruto replied as he pried his shirt from Sasuke's grip. Sasuke huffed and turned to the girls who were staring at the standoff in apprehension.

"You," Sasuke pointed at Hinata, "Don't leave my side. I'm assuming you will be the messenger, if anything I'm your bodyguard." Sasuke then pointed to the two others. "You two are back up if anything gets rough, don't do anything rash," Sasuke made eye contact with the both of them. "Or I will hand your ass back to Tsunade on a silver platter." Naruto, back to his antics, gulped and mockingly saluted.

"Yes sir!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Hinata sighed in relief that the two were back to normal.

"We're going to have to improv depending on what is the initial reaction from Kumo, got everything?" Sasuke dared each one to ask a question.

"Okay, let's go already the anticipation is killing me!" Sakura laughed jokingly as she started leading the way.

Kumo was amazingly different for sure.

Hinata had been there once before and if anything it had grown more beautiful and dangerous.

As Hinata led the way to the Raikage's main domain Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but become tourists.

"Sasuke, Sasuke! Look at that! It's so weird!" Naruto laughed as he pointed rudely to random things.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun don't you think those coral necklaces look pretty?"

Sasuke growled low in his throat and moved to catch up with Hinata; at least she was being serious about this whole thing.

Actually, Hinata seemed quite spooked almost as if she'd seen a ghost or something. Her eyes were wide as if she would be able to see danger better that way and her back was ramrod straight, her hands hanging balled into fists by her sides.

_I think I'm starting to get exactly what this mission was about…_

As they arrived at the Kumo's representation of the Hokage tower three ANBU Black Ops appeared at their sides.

"From Konoha I presume." The leader of the group as indicated by the lone red scarf tied around her neck stated monotonously.

"Hai. I am Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga clan and I have been sent by Tsunade-sama on behalf of the peace treaty signed fifteen years ago." Hinata bowed respectfully and Team Seven hurried to do the same.

"Ah, Hyuuga-sama, I know what this is about." The Leader fell back behind the Konoha group. "Proceed, we will escort you as is customary."

"As you wish." Hinata replied and led the way into the tower.

Sasuke was somewhat surprised at the amount of respect Hinata's position demanded. He knew she was the heir to the Hyuuga Clan as she had stated. He also knew that the Hyuuga Clan was one of the most prominent Clans in all of the Hidden Villages, it held an amazing amount of power in behind the scenes decisions within Konoha and many other prospects.

But what intrigued him the most was the mention of the peace treaty signed fifteen years ago.

Even he knew the story of what happened, the hush hush 'death' of Hyuuga Hiashi as accordance for the peace treaty to be kept intact in handling the little 'incident' caused by Kumo in Konoha territory.

All of the clans had heard of the event and Sasuke remembered the outrage that had gone through the Uchiha Clan at the thought that another Village could come into their home under a pretense of peace and then do something as underhanded as stealing the heir of the Hyuuga clan for their own gain.

Kumo had been after the Byakugan for years.

Which would explain why Hinata was chosen to go with Team Seven.

It was all a matter of politics; to show Kumo that Konoha was keeping up the alliance, that Konoha held trust in Kumo, Tsunade had to send the girl almost kidnapped by the very same village. And if Hyuuga Hinata did not return in one piece Konoha would have its answer of if the treaty was holding up. It wasn't just to test Kumo's determination to hold the bargain but for Konoha to show its only bargaining chip off.

The Byakugan.

Tsunade didn't have a choice but to send Hinata. And she wasn't going to let her go unprotected.

That was why the power differences between Hinata and Team Seven were so huge.

She was their mission.

It would also explain why the men had gone straight after her. Although Kumo and Konoha were at peaceful allegiance as of now Kumo could not be pinned responsible if Hinata were to be disposed of during the mission in a different territory.

But this presented a problem.

Sasuke knew that the men sent after them were a message _to him_. And if that were the case but the dead corpses went after Hinata it would be safe to assume he was working with Kumo.

Or worse yet he was already here and waiting.

As the ANBU led the Konoha group into a huge building with the Raikage symbol painted on it Sasuke couldn't help but feeling like they were walking straight into trouble.

* * *

_If you catch anything I missed please tell me!_

_Trinity Effect_


	3. Chapter 3

'_Hey guys sorry for taking so long to update but as I said I had four wisdom teeth taken out...'_

_This is what I wrote for an author's note when I posted this chapter. Another reason I haven't updated in a while is because I got braces and had _another_ four teeth pulled out (first incisors) which comes to a grand total of eight teeth pulled out. Let's hope it stays at that. Chapter revised. (4/15/12)_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_Song: Kiss with a Fist, Florence + The Machine_

Sasuke didn't understand.

Something was supposed to _happen._

His instincts were never wrong and yet nothing had happened out of the ordinary.

They were taken into a waiting room in the Raikage tower by the ANBU team and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally after almost two hours of just being cooped up in that room (where Sasuke had almost ripped off Naruto's head several times) the doors opened up once again and a busty woman with a short asymmetrical haircut walked in.

She identified herself as Samui, one of three protégées of the Raikage himself.

She continued by saying the Raikage was 'indisposed' of until further notice and would sadly not be able to talk to them or sign the scroll they had brought. However, they were implored to stay the night and return to their village after a good night's rest. The scroll would be taken to Konoha once it could be reviewed and signed.

It was more like they were forced to their rooms, ANBU watching their every move. And when they were told that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke would have to share a room and 'Hyuuga-sama' would be getting her own Sasuke really started wondering why everything was going so smoothly.

He did the only thing he could think of in that situation.

He threw a fit until he got to stay in the same room as Hinata as her bodyguard.

He was not so stupid as to not notice the annoyance in the Kumo shinobis' eyes. They were banking on Hinata staying by herself.

Apparently peace treaties were all for show these days.

Hinata had shied away from him, sitting on the wooden deck just outside of the rice paper doors looking out over the preened Japanese garden. The fact that he had worked so hard to get into the same room as her must have been unnerving. He had half a mind to walk over to her and tell her she shouldn't think so highly of herself.

But then again he had acted a little out of hand; even Naruto and Sakura voiced corrupted interest in his wanting to stay in the same room as her.

He could have laughed.

It had nothing to do with Hinata; he just wanted to be where his mission was. He could not afford to slip up like they could. They were in the Hokage and the village's good graces.

He simply was not.

So what if they thought he was trying to get after Hinata? Who cared if she thought the same?

He would do what he had to and nothing less.

But Sasuke had to admit he was kind of lost on this one. Their mission was complete and they would be heading back home tomorrow. Crisis averted.

So then why was he still feeling tense?

Hinata had yet to be attacked while under Kumo's care even though Sasuke had suspicions that she was their target.

So was his two years on hiatus making him stand on edge? Was he just a pathological Debbie downer?

Hinata had yet to move from her spot, even as the sun began to dip below the other side of the courtyard and turn to blood red. The sight of her bathed in the red light and shadows only seemed to add to his seemingly nervous twitch.

Nature loved to use symbolism for events to come. Everything travelled in a circle; just as the sun rose it had to set for night to rise.

It was '_Karma'_.

And Karma was a bitch.

If this mission, if Hinata's _life_ rested in the hands of _his_ Karma…

Well he might as well slit her throat right now and save them the trouble.

He sighed and sat on the spare bedding the Kumo shinobi had placed in the room pulling out his weapons for their daily sharpening. The sounds of metal scrapping against metal seemed to smooth his frazzled nerves and he fell into a simple and peaceful rhythm.

He would not be getting any sleep tonight he realized, glancing at the back of the indigo haired girl just outside the door. If he was going to uphold this mission he would have to guard her all night.

It wasn't like he was going to sleep well regardless.

There was a knock on the door and both Sasuke and Hinata turned to the shadow looming on the other side.

"Hyuuga-sama dinner is ready if you would like to eat. It is in the room down the hall to your right. You're guests are invited also of course." Hinata and Sasuke glanced at each other.

"Hai, thank you very much. We will go there now." Hinata replied, standing and wiping at her pants for invisible dirt. The shadow bowed towards the door.

"You are welcome Hyuuga-sama."

Hinata stretched out her arms and yawned before turning to Sasuke, "Shall we go eat?" She smiled gently and Sasuke realized she was trying to be nice. He simply nodded and stood, putting all his gear away.

On their way to the food Sasuke stopped by Sakura and Naruto's room and banged on the door. "Food." Was all he called before following Hinata into the dining room.

The room was extravagant. The woodwork in the room was unbelievable, carvings of men and beasts adorning the cherry wood panels, gold paint highlighting the more adventurous tales. A low table carved with the same designs stood in the middle of the room, golden pillows placed intermittently around it for seats.

And the food.

The table was heaped with all sorts of delicacies from almost every single nation known to man. Everything from soups to desserts was placed before them and Hinata could only oogle the sheer amount of food before them.

"Hell yes! This is the motherload!" Naruto cheered from behind them and Sasuke just barely managed to push Hinata through the door and out of the way before Naruto stampeded in, his eyes directed on the copious amounts of food. She shot him a look of gratitude.

"Well the food isn't poisoned…" Sakura called to them, her hand running over the food with green chakra.

"Well then I take that as an invitation to eat!" Naruto beckoned to the others and they could only do as he said.

Even as they ate -Naruto with the gusto of an elephant- Sasuke still couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong. He could only manage a few bites before his nerves stopped him.

Why were they being treated like royalty? Just because Hinata was the heir to the Hyuuga Clan?

He highly doubted Kumo was expecting the four of them to give them a five star rating to Tsunade.

They honestly wouldn't gain anything by doing this; they already had Hinata in their grasp and if they so chose to they could take her at any time.

Sasuke decided to glower at his plate unable to take another bite. He hated not knowing anything.

He hated not being _aware_. When he wasn't aware he was just like everyone else; easily fooled.

Something was supposed to happen. It just had to. Uchiha Sasuke did not get this feeling for nothing. Even as the three idiots conversed and stuffed their faces Sasuke was positive that something would happen.

So why -even as the group went to their separate beds to sleep for the night, even when the moon rose high into the sky- did the night stay so calm and peaceful?

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke was starting to feel the effects of his paranoia.

They had travelled all night without a single attack.

Sasuke felt as if he had been fighting enemy ninjas for the past three days; and the heat in which they were travelling wasn't helping.

The foreboding feeling of something yet to come had yet to leave him. He didn't know how to describe it; it was like ice running through his veins (ironic), like his heart couldn't stop rattling in his chest.

He usually loved the rush the feeling gave him but he had to guess that too much of anything was bound to be a bad. And boy did he feel it.

Naruto and Hinata had questioned him once already on his lack of…enthusiasm. Then again he never really had a knack for that. Sakura had offered to check him over to see if he was okay but Sasuke could tell by the way she was eying him that she would definitely enjoy 'Check up' time better than him. He had thanked her for her offer in his usual nonchalant way nonetheless.

So maybe his thought process was a little…off?

Kumo had given them more provisions than they could ever need and sent them off on their way home bright and early the morning after they spent the night. Not a single hair on Hinata's head had been touched all night, he would know.

Sasuke would have liked to think it was because Kumo didn't want to provoke or threaten him in such a way that he would unleash his unbridled fury against them.

Though in all honesty it was probably just misjudgment on his part and they weren't really set on Hinata's Byakugan like he had thought. Most nations wouldn't risk a total war for one pair of eyes.

Well if he was wrong about Kumo…did that mean he was wrong about _him _being here as well?

Sasuke sighed and decided he no longer cared about the matter. It was probably nerves from being on his first mission in a long time. His mind -now cleared from any thoughts of revenge and deceit- did not know how to accommodate the change and was forcing him to think of all sorts of hypothetical scenarios to make up for the slack.

Yeah that's all this was.

"Hey guys can I ask a question?" Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled in embarrassment.

Sasuke didn't bother to answer him and Sakura huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Sure Naruto-kun, what do you want to ask?" Hinata replied sweetly, hands clasped in front of her and a slight blush tinting her cheeks; though it could have been from their walking in blistering heat.

Naruto grinned. "You know I'm not one to worry about the future and stuff," Sakura snorted and Naruto shot her a half-hearted glare. "But what do you think the future would have been like if everything in our lives had been…well…normal?" They all quieted of a few moments, slight tension in the air at the question.

They all knew what he had meant.

"A-ano…what brought that to your mind?" Hinata ventured after glancing at the others' furrowed looks.

Naruto looked startled for a moment. "I…I don't really know to be honest." He grinned and placed his arms behind his head as they continued walking towards Konoha. "I've been thinking about it for a while to tell you the truth."

"You? Think? I'm surprised you had enough brain cells to do so." Sasuke remarked on the side. Sakura giggled and nodded.

"Naruto I've known you for a long time and I've never heard you think about anything longer than three minutes!"

"Hey!" Naruto stopped as the others continued to walk ahead. They turned to look at him. "My own teammates diss me! Hinata-chan you're the only one who is kind to me!" He promptly tackled her in a hug and mock-sobbed into her jacket.

Hinata, blushing profusely, awkwardly brought up a hand to pat his shoulder in sympathy. "Ano Naruto-kun?"

Naruto immediately stopped his charade and looked up at her. "Yeah Hinata-chan?"

Hinata gulped at the proximity and gently moved away so that they were an appropriate distance apart. "You know," She looked down as she spoke. "Honestly we shouldn't think about what could be because even if you think about it and hope for it you are only given one life to live. You should cherish what you have been given." After a moment's hesitation she continued. "But I don't think it would be all that different." She gave him a small smile.

Naruto positively beamed. "Ne Hinata-chan I think you're right! Silly me, thinking about the 'could be's and all…" Naruto started talking to himself as he walked ahead of the group thoroughly satisfied with her answer.

_Wow the baka has the attention span of a fly…_

The heat was starting to get unbearable. Sasuke was positively panting, Naruto had already striped to his undershirt and even Hinata had unzipped her jacket down. All of two inches.

Of course Sakura looked as pretty as ever. Not a lick of dirt marred her skin or a bead of sweat. He was almost seriously inclined to ask her what her secret was; looking as cool and comfortable like that in such absolute heat.

Key word _almost._

Honestly Sasuke just wanted to find a river and jump in. Between the four of them one of them should be a water elemental chakra user. He was willing to learn in order to stop this sweating; he felt like a pig.

Which was very ironic seeing as pigs didn't sweat.

Sasuke realized his thoughts were starting to ramble and decided to take matters into his own hands. Stopping in his tracks, Sasuke held a hand up to the others and simply stated, "We are stopping here for the night."

The others looked at one another and just shrugged. "Sure Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled.

If Sasuke was surprised at the quick acquiesce he didn't show it. Instead he mildly walked past the group towards a small clearing and paused. "We'll camp here."

Naruto ran excitedly towards Sasuke and grabbed his arm. "Come on Sasuke, we'll go find water and maybe some food!" Hinata was about to tell Naruto it was probably best not to split up –anyways Kumo had given them enough food for a week- but Naruto and Sasuke had already disappeared into the brush.

Hinata looked to Sakura and the strawberry blonde just shrugged. Hinata sighed as she bent down to make a cleared area for a fire. _I could have conjured up a well…I have water elemental chakra…but Naruto wouldn't remember something like that about me…_Hinata bemoaned to herself. She was so tired of feeling depressed. When she was with her team she felt relaxed and content but with Team Seven…all she could do was look at all of her bad qualities. They did stand out when compared to fine shinobi such as them.

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura called to her mousy friend.

"Yes Sakura-chan?" Hinata smiled gently as she finished pitched up the guys' tent.

"Well I was wondering if you would like to go take a quick bath before the guys get back; I think I remember a small lake near here. I'm sure it's not too far off!" Sakura smiled cheerfully. "So what do you say?"

Hinata blushed at the thought of being naked in front of another person. Although she knew it wasn't a big deal seeing as Sakura-chan was her friend and had seen her naked during all of her check-ups it wasn't something she liked to do willingly. "A-ano, we should probably stay here and wait for Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun…" Sakura frowned and tugged on Hinata's long sleeve.

"Please? We didn't get a chance to in Kumo and I don't think I can stand feeling grimy anymore!"

It wasn't that Hinata was a total pig and didn't mind the dirt clinging to her body; it was more like Hinata was indifferent to it. Of course she could do more to clean herself up, especially for Naruto, but she wasn't feeling particularly 'icky' as Sakura was demonstrating.

Also it was getting increasingly hot underneath her jacket though she had tried to ignore it all day. She had even been reduced to zipping down her jacket a tad to make up for the bolstering heat.

But all in all she might as well and the boys would be back soon anyways.

"O-okay Sakura-chan we can go." Sakura squealed and tackled Hinata not unlike how her blond teammate had done earlier. "As long as we let them know we left." Sakura nodded rapidly and squealed in excitement.

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke was bored out of his mind. Frankly he didn't know why they were out here. Naruto had yet to say a word to him and would only sneak glances at him every one in a while; he knew Naruto didn't drag him out here for anything of importance because the girls had everything back at the clearing.

Sasuke mutely followed Naruto as he noisily picked up firewood. It was an awkward silence and Sasuke knew Naruto's wheels were turning in his head and all he had to do was wait.

Almost as if on cue Naruto glanced at Sasuke once again and Sasuke caught his eyes and held them. Embarrassed, Naruto's eyes darted away only to come back and looked Sasuke up and down once before reaching down for a particularly skinny stick that wouldn't normally be used for a fire. Sasuke figured that he was using it as an excuse to look away.

Sighing and mentally kicking himself for actually pretending he cared, Sasuke opened his mouth only to be closed by Naruto's words, "So…you and Hinata-chan huh? I didn't really think you would ever like a girl let alone Hinata-chan…she's really sweet." Naruto looked up at Sasuke with guarded eyes, almost as if he were put out.

_What is up with him?_ "I have no idea what you're talking about." Sasuke grabbed a stick and threw it onto the pile in Naruto's arms.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You literally fought tooth and nail just to be in the same room as her and not only that but you roomed with her twice!" Naruto shouted, dropping all of carefully collected wood to point an accusing finger in the dark haired man's direction.

"Way to go Dobe…" Sasuke growled. _Think of something, think of something…_ He continued, "And no you idiot, there is nothing going on. I was trying to give you a chance with Sakura." Naruto's shoulders seemed to droop more at the pink haired girl's name.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto stopped and turned to Sasuke. "I'm not sure if you've noticed but Sakura-chan doesn't really like me all that much…" Sasuke scoffed and Naruto glared.

Shoving his blond counterpart, Sasuke trudged on ahead in no particular direction. Neither one said a word for a while after that.

"What happened?" Sasuke murmured, not daring to look at Naruto lest he look like he actually cared for the blue eyed idiot.

Naruto startled out of his daze and stared at the back of Sasuke's feet as he walked, not bothered by the tree branches whacking him in the face. "Nothing really…I just keep thinking about it and I just wanted to get it off my chest."

Sasuke had to admit he felt partly responsible. Sakura loved him though he didn't return such feelings. If he hadn't been forced back in Konoha Naruto might have had a different fate.

Sakura would give up on him and Naruto would naturally be her fall back seeing as he was the second most important man in her life. With time Sakura would fall in love with the charisma and sweetness that Naruto simply exuded and they would begin a relationship. Naruto would have been the happiest man in the world.

But again Sasuke ruined yet another aspect of Naruto's life. How was he able to forgive him so easily?

"Wow thinking twice in one day…that's a new record." Naruto chuckled and punched Sasuke in the arm.

"I think a lot more than you believe Teme." Sasuke glared at Naruto. "What…?" Naruto asked nervously.

"You. Hit. Me." Sasuke pointed out his arm. Naruto gave him a toothy grin.

"Wow Teme you are one of those oracle people!"

"Dobe if you're going to be sarcastic at least know what you're trying to say." Sasuke bit out as he began to crouch. Naruto picked up another stick innocently and looked up at the pissed off Sasuke.

"H-hey Teme, why are you getting ready to atta-?" Naruto didn't have a chance to finish. He scrambled to get the firewood out of his hands and bring his arms up to his face.

A well placed kick shoved Naruto back a few inches.

"What the hell man?" Naruto growled as he immediately returned the attack with a punch. Sasuke jumped back to avoid the blow and landed lightly on his feet. "Why are you attacking me now? You pushed me earlier and I didn't do anything to you!"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn." The slightest shifting of weight was Naruto's indicator.

He ran away.

Sasuke's smirk fell and he stared at the back of his best friend running through the forest in surprise. "Dobe why are you running?" He started after him.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see if Sasuke was behind him. He started to laugh as he realized he had beaten the dark haired prodigy. He faced forward and gasped, digging his heels into the ground to stop his momentum. "Thought you got away did you?" Sasuke grinned sadistically. He threw a kunai aimed at Naruto's head but Naruto easily caught it in the air and rushed Sasuke. He barely had enough time to bring his Chokuto up to meet Naruto's kunai. They stood there for a few moments, a battle of the wills and of strength; neither one making a breakthrough.

Staring straight into his eyes, Naruto suddenly smiled and said. "I really missed you Sasuke."

Sasuke shoved away and watched Naruto with wary eyes. Naruto seemed kind of bummed that Sasuke was still pushing him away; his face had fallen as he was watching Sasuke with a blank expression.

Sasuke was the first to move. With a fierce cry he ran towards Naruto, barraging him with punches and kicks relentlessly. _Punch, punch, kick, dodge. Kick, kick, flip, swipe._ Naruto had yet to make a move to attack as he dodged quickly and efficiently. Sasuke was getting more and more frustrated and more and more reckless.

Finally feinting to the right and making Naruto move his hands to block there Sasuke jumped, wrapped his legs around Naruto's midsection and twisted, throwing Naruto into a tree trunk head first. Sasuke rushed to stand up before his opponent and just stared mutely and in confusion as all that met him was white smoke.

His neck snapped up as he heard a huge roar above him before a pile of Narutos jumped down upon him from the trees and piled on top of Sasuke. All the Narutos laughed and high-fived as Sasuke strained to get to his knees under all of the weight.

"Go. On. A Diet!" Sasuke bit out as he shoved the Narutos away. They all voiced their anger to his words as he continued. "Get off of me!" He punched one in the face and it disappeared with a puff of smoke.

As Sasuke fought his way through to the top of the pile the amount of Narutos greatly reduced until there were only two on top of him. He hit them both and one answered with an "ouch!" and the other disappeared. Both tired beyond belief, Naruto and Sasuke flopped onto their backs and tried to catch their breaths.

_I was so hot before and now I'm here sweating like crazy…_

Out of nowhere Sasuke's shoulders started shaking and Naruto looked to his friend in concern. "Hey Teme you okay?" Sasuke snorted and his shakes became a weak chuckle. Naruto stared in surprise before a grin broke out on his face.

After they laughed out all they could Sasuke stood and brushed off his clothes before holding a hand out to Naruto his face all business again. "We should get back."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Un!" The two went back to where they left the wood and went about retrieving them.

"What happened?" Sasuke repeated and Naruto simply stared at the ground and shrugged.

"Sakura-chan just told me she would never love me and she could only like one person." He laughed gently to cover his pain. "Lucky man huh?" Sasuke glared at the ground in frustration. It just wasn't fair…

"You know about that diet? I was serious, you should consider it." Sasuke stated in passing, trying to change the subject as they made it back to the camp site.

"Hey! Teme all that is muscle! See?" Naruto began to flex his arms as he walked along.

Sasuke's eyes automatically switched to Sharingan as he felt that foreboding feeling creep up on him tenfold. Eyes widening in shock Sasuke grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt and stilled him with a gruff, "Don't. Move."

Naruto heeded the warning and looked at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. "What? What do you see?"

Sasuke pulled the blond haired male back to his side and stepped up to the edge of the camp site. Peeking past the leaves Sasuke determined that the girls were not on the premise. Focusing his gaze right in front of him, Sasuke carefully reached into his pouch and brought out the chalky powder he used during training for better gripping which he placed in the palm of his hand and brought up to his face.

"Teme what are you do-"

Sasuke blew the loose powder into the empty space before him and pointed out where the chalk seemed to float in mid air.

A thin line made itself present.

Sasuke turned to Naruto -whose eyes had lit up in recognition- and they murmured at the exact same time, "It's a trap."

* * *

_Again if you catch anything please notify me!_

_Trinity Effect_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi guys, so just in case my readers here didn't know, the reason I haven't updated in almost a year is because I just finished my first year of college and I am trying to get into Medical School so I needed to devote all of my time towards that. Wow, the last time I wrote an author's note for this story seems so silly because all the things that happened then happened almost a full year ago! This chapter is twenty-one pages long and has a lot of adventure-y fighting goodness (some of you have asked for it) and this is the hardest part of the writing of this story by far. Everything else should be easy now that the whole thing has been set up :) Well I won't keep you waiting and will allow you to start reading but PLEASE read the important info at the bottom of this chapter. It's pretty important to the continuation of this story and has some useful background info as well. Remember to listen to the song while reading for the full effect! Okay I hope you enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Song: Time to waste, Alkaline Trio_

If he were any other person he would have totally taken the time to scream "I told you so!" to every goddamn person in his presence (alarmingly it was only Naruto at the moment) regardless of if they knew of his paranoia or not.

Even as he celebrated his proof of sanity, the cogs were turning in his mind. The campsite was fairly clean and untouched; there had been no tussle for survival here. Did the girls leave with the enemy of their own accord?

"Sasuke…what do we do? I don't see Hinata or Sakura anywhere…" Naruto looked kind of fidgety but whether it was from nervousness or concern, Sasuke couldn't tell nor cared.

Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth trying to catch anything that was off about the campground that would give any indication on whom exactly did this and where the girls were.

He found purchase on one of the ropes holding up one of the tents.

He zeroed in on the intricate knots he had fallen upon and realized it was coded in a series of patterns.

_The girls had left before the camp was booby trapped…meaning the target isn't them…_

"Sasuke…!" Naruto shook him. Sasuke snapped his head to glare at the blonde man who was annoying him.

"They're fine Naruto so stop shaking me!" Sasuke shoved his hands off his body.

"E-eh? How do you know?" Naruto exclaimed lowly, looking around to make sure imminent danger was not present.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke pointed to the tent and the knots placed in the rope. "They left us a message in the rope." Naruto took a peek for himself and his eyes widened,

"Sasuke way to go! I would have never found that from this distance!"

"This isn't the time for compliments." Sasuke deadpanned, bending down to kneel, his hand going through seals as he bit into his thumb and drew it against the ground. "_Kuchinose no Jutsu!"_

With a puff of white smoke, twin snakes of a beautiful pearlescent color made themselves present. Sasuke held his hands out to them and they hissed, wrapping themselves around his arms as he stood and turned to Naruto.

"Man Sasuke, I don't even want start on how weirded out I would be if I were you…"

"As if frogs are any better _Dobe._" Sasuke hissed very much like his snakes. Naruto just shrugged and chuckled. Sasuke turned to the twin snakes whose eyes were fixated on his face waiting for their orders. "The campsite is set with traps, you know what to do."

Without hesitation the snakes slithered away from their master and into the foliage, blending in with their surroundings even with their bright hue. Naruto shuddered and Sasuke slapped him over the head.

"Come on we need to find the girls."

OoOoOoOoO

Kabuto sighed to himself as he watched Sakura and Hinata bathe in the lake near the campsite he had happened upon first. The two girls were oblivious to his presence and he hoped to keep it that way, his sights were set on the last remaining Uchiha and he relished in the paranoia he instilled in the man; these sorry excuses for shinobi – although the Byakugan user would have been a wonderful test subject- would only hinder his plans if they knew of his being there.

He had to admit, while he was there the view had been most pleasurable and he had briefly thought back to a time where such things as women were his only concern but power and manipulative shinobi who used people as pawns had changed that for him.

It was no matter, he thought in passing as his body rejected him for a few moments and he was reduced to digging his nails into his head in order to keep control. It wasn't that he did not want his master to live on through him; it was just that he wanted to keep hold of his conscious until he could finally attain his goal of retribution for that very same master he adored.

Just as Orochimaru dabbled in the cursed jutsus, Kabuto had found that such cursed arts had much more appeal and desired results than the allowed ninjutsu. _It is how I will take Sasuke's will and warp it until even he won't know what to do with himself anymore. _

Recovering rapidly, Kabuto stood and spoke to the clouds,

"Orochimaru-sama, the retribution you desire is close at hand."

And with that he disappeared into the brush.

OoOoOoOoO

Hinata submerged herself in the water and marveled at how beautiful the light from the sky shimmered in the depths of the water. Being a water element Chakra user, Hinata felt as if she had a special connection to the clear blue liquid.

One, water is clear, a mirror of sorts. Hinata was much the same. Anyone who looked into her unmarred eyes would see every emotion she felt splayed out in front of them. She did not hide things nor could she even if she tried.

Two, water is a source of enrichment and life; without it all living beings would die. Hinata was a creator, a life bringer as well. Though she definitely wasn't as skilled as Sakura at medical jutsus and such, she did have a broader knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants. She used life to foster the life in people.

Hinata ignored the strain on her lungs for air as she massaged her scalp to get rid of any remainders of their trip. Once the burning got to be too much, she kicked her legs and burst through the surface. With a much needed breath of fresh air she made sure she was fully submerged before she turned to Sakura and flashed her a smile.

"You were right Sakura-chan, coming here was a good idea." Sakura grinned knowingly and splashed playfully as she lounged against a boulder, her hair tied up in a loose bun.

"Of course I was right! There's nothing a little bathing can't do to help you feel good!" Hinata had slipped out of the water as she said this and made her way to her clothes as quickly as she could. Sakura couldn't help but stare at the voluptuous woman. _Except that…that just totally eats away at the ego._ Sakura thought to herself as she looked down at her own body. _Definitely don't compare in that department…_

_Ano, I was pretty sure I brought it with me…._

"A-ano…Sakura-chan I left my extra shirt at camp." Hinata looked distraught as she turned back to Sakura, her jacket zipped up high as always. "I will go get it really fast and come back okay?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Sure, sure I'll be waiting when you come back!" She waved her off.

Hinata dashed off into the brush, running so that she would not have to leave Sakura alone for long. Darkness had already descended and Hinata couldn't help a small shiver that made its way down her spine.

For some reason she could not name, Hinata was getting increasingly nervous, as if she were running directly into trouble. She had noticed Sasuke's anxious looks all day and she would be lying if she said they didn't bother her a little. Sasuke was one of, if not the strongest shinobi in all of Konoha, if he was worried about something she had even more reason to fear for her life.

Deciding it better to be safe than sorry, Hinata activated her Byakugan and surveyed her environment. At the moment the only things that were moving around were the copious amounts of bugs and fauna.

Hinata neared the campsite but stopped a few feet away as she noticed strands of chakra weaving in and out of the campsite borders.

Cautiously moving forward, Hinata studied the chakra lines, following their paths towards their specific source; explosion tags set up every five feet around the perimeter. But this wasn't what caught Hinata's attention.

Hinata was very good at detecting chakra. So good in fact she was able to differentiate and commit to memory every single chakra 'fingerprint' she had ever come into contact with.

She had only met this chakra only twice before; once at the chunnin exams and another over two years ago when the rookie nine had gone looking for Sasuke during his battle with Itachi.

It slowly dawned on Hinata that the fear Sasuke had been dealing with throughout the trip was well deserved. This chakra was way too strong for just one person, if it really was that man she had met before (Kabuto, she reminded herself) then he had gone through even more physiological changes and was now a serious threat.

What should she do? She obviously could not reach her spare shirt.

But there were greater causes for concern such as the boys either hadn't returned yet or they already saw the campsite and were in search of them. Hopefully it was the latter.

Hinata could either hunt them down or she could go back to Sakura but she wasn't sure which would benefit them more. Leaving Sakura alone would probably be the last thing she should do but if she had to be honest, at least she knew where Sakura was. If she found the boys she could lead them to the pinkette.

As she deliberated, Hinata noticed a malevolent presence quite near her vicinity. It seemed neither option would be effective as she had been found out by the enemy.

It didn't make sense though, what would Kabuto gain from rigging the campsite? He had done nothing to split them up or taken action to pick them off one by one. It seemed that she and Sakura were not the targets.

However being away from the place Kabuto had expected of her had made her a risk and thus expendable.

The chakra signatures she detected started to move and Hinata steeled her resolve. She would not stand a chance if she stayed there, she would have to run.

OoOoOoOoO

The pearlescent snakes awaited Sasuke and Naruto at the edge of the forest where they had run in order to find the nearest body of water.

Sasuke halted and held a hand out, motioning Naruto to do the same. "What have you found?" Sasuke asked, his questioned directed towards his summonings. The snakes swiftly slithered up his legs and deposited their findings in his waiting palm.

A white snake skin.

Sasuke cursed under his breath and allowed his snakes to disappear with a puff of white smoke. Naruto just plucked the skin from Sasuke's hand and held it up in his face, staring inquisitively. "What's so cool about this? It's just a snake skin…." Sasuke growled and swiped it from Naruto's grasp.

"In…my years as a missing nin there is one thing," Sasuke shook his head and corrected himself. "No, one _person_ I learned to connect when pertaining to white snakes. Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes widened. "But he's dead, you killed him!" Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "He did die right Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed and glowered at his companion. "Of course I killed him!" Sasuke ran his hand through his hair and peered at the ground as if it would solve all his problems. "The snake skin was obviously planted on purpose, it's too rare to find on a whim." Was someone trying to scare him with the Orochimaru references in order to play some sick mind game?

The self doubt was becoming a little overpowering…

It was then that the both of them started as a chakra signature made itself known, likely the user decided not to mask it anymore. Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other because the fact that the person had allowed himself to be detected at this specific time meant one thing.

They had been and were currently being watched.

_We're playing right into their hands…_

"Naruto." Sasuke murmured under his breath and the blonde moved towards him. "You need to find Sakura and Hinata. The likelihood of them being able to fend off the type of shinobi with Kabuto and Orochimaru alone is slim at best." Naruto nodded.

"What are you going to do though Teme?" Sasuke turned to his friend and smirked.

"I'm going to find and kill whoever is impersonating a man I know I killed. This time it's personal."

"Come back alive." Naruto jested, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. Sasuke began to run back towards the woods, unable to handle the finality of the words.

"I wasn't planning on dying in the first place _Dobe_." Sasuke threw over his shoulder.

Soon Naruto's comforting presence –although he would never admit it- was gone all together and Sasuke had to redirect his thoughts to the task at hand.

This supposed enemy was very intriguing. He -or she- used Kabuto's corpse jutsu but was adamant to commit Orochimaru as the trespasser of their campsite. So had Orochimaru truly survived his attack? He had overpowered his very being and hacked his body into pieces, there was no way he was still alive.

Was there…?

No. Sasuke was pretty sure that this was Kabuto. He was the only one who had a score to settle with him that could actually pull off the attack this far. The evidence of him tampering with the Kumo shinobi was there as well. And then the pieces fell into place.

The Kumo shinobi had let them leave because they were in cahoots with Kabuto! They knew that he was planning an attack on them and probably struck a deal with the white haired man; they give him the platform to commit his revenge and in return they would receive the coveted Byakugan eyes. They could not risk soiling neither their hands nor their territory with the death of a Konoha shinobi.

Something else that Hinata had told them was starting to make sense as well.

Hinata had said that the men she fought on their trip to Kumo had known every single one of her moves; something that a shinobi took great care in keeping secret as sometimes it would mean life or death to have a few ninjutsu hidden.

The only man he knew who took the time to label, chart and research others' ninjutsu would be again, none other than Kabuto.

As Sasuke grew closer to his destination, the chakra imprint disappeared and was replaced with another, more fear mongering residue.

Sasuke sped up and burst through the brush, skidding to a stop in front of the one man he never thought he would get to see standing ever again.

_Itachi…_

"I'm so glad you could join me, otouto."

OoOoOoOoO

Naruto's heart was pounding hard as he ran towards the water, his eyes golden from his sage mode.

If there were ever a time he was grateful for his training in detecting the chakra in nature it would be at this moment and he was positive he would have taken hours to find the lake which he had detected as soon as he had activated the frog based skill.

More than anything his main concern was the girls but Sasuke was at the back of his mind too. He had to admit that he was scared. Scared that when Sasuke met whoever this was, Orochimaru or just some poser, the temptation would be too inviting and Sasuke would leave them once again. Even though their relationship wasn't the same as it was all those years ago, Naruto easily grew comfortable with Sasuke's presence in his life and it would hurt more than ever before to lose him again.

Naruto shook his head vehemently. _Sasuke wouldn't do that._

Finally he reached the lapping banks of water and Naruto could only stand still for a few moments, afraid of what he would find. So far nothing.

Slowly proceeding forward, Naruto peered around the boulders that were blocking his view.

And what a view it was.

Naruto's breath caught as he watched Sakura laze in the water, her hair tied up and showing off her slender neck and collar bones. Never had he seen something so beautiful.

Realizing he should make his presence known for there were more pressing matters at hand, Naruto moved out from his hiding spot and voiced his presence.

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura whipped her head around and eyes wide with fear, she screamed and ducked under the surface of the blue water, nothing but her nose and eyes to be seen.

"Naruto!" She screamed, though all that came here bubbles and gurgling. Realizing he would soon be in irreparable trouble, Naruto started to explain his presence.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry for walking in on you bathing or whatever, but we have a serious problem, the campsite was booby trapped and- hey where is Hinata-chan?"

_I'm an idiot I should have looked for their chakra signatures not the water! Why was I so fixated on the damn water!_

"Eh? What do you mean the camp is trapped?" Sakura started, motioning for Naruto to turn around while she slipped out to change into her clothes. "As for Hinata-chan…she went back to the camp to get her shirt."

"What?" Naruto turned around in his surprise only to get a shoe thrown at his head. "Ow! Sorry I forgot!"

"Okay I'm done." Sakura prompted. When Naruto had turned around Sakura continued. "First of all, where is Sasuke-kun?"

"He said that the enemy he detected at the campsite was either Orochimaru or one of his cronies. Now I dunno how he figured that out just from a snake skin that he just happened to find on the campsite with his little snakey summonings but man let me tell you, it was creepy as hell! Anyways, then he said that it could just be someone impersonating Orochimaru but maybe not and he confused me a little ther-"

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, stamping her foot indignantly. "This is serious; Hinata went to the campsite and is probably already there by now! Hopefully she noticed the traps; luckily she was the one who went because she has the Byakugan." She sighed and finished wrapping her Hitai-ate around her hair. Next were the gloves. "So why are you here and Sasuke not?"

Naruto didn't have time to be hurt by the words. "He went after the enemy and told me to find you and Hinata-chan to make sure you were alright." He looked down pensively for a second and then looked up again his face screwed up cutely. "I guess I failed that one."

"Well our first task is to find and regroup with Hinata. Then we should go provide backup for Sasuke-kun." _Maybe he really does care about me after all…_

"I agree! Which way did she head?" Sakura pointed out the spot where Hinata had disappeared.

"We shouldn't waste any time, if Sasuke's right, there will be sound ninja's involved and they can be pretty tough." Sakura told Naruto as the broke out into a sprint, leaping into the tree branches in order to move faster. Naruto had just activated his sage mode when the shinobi attacked them.

Sakura threw a well aimed punch at the first one which came up at them from the dense cover of the foliage below. Naruto had to twist around, narrowly avoiding him as he went down. "Hey!" He complained to Sakura who just shrugged.

"Keep up Naruto!" Just as she said so, Naruto off-ed his own opponent.

"I am!"

In all, Naruto could detect twenty sound ninjas hiding in the brush waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. At this rate they would never get to Hinata.

Naruto activated his Shadow clones and went into the trees after the hiding nin. They were no match for him in sage mode, especially with Sakura helping with the take down, but the sheer number of them was only wasting time, the one thing they were banking on. _They must know what we're trying to do._

Changing tactics, Naruto felt the Chakra in their vicinity, trying to find his other friends. He found Sasuke first, battling what seemed to be….Itachi? What the hell was going on? Deciding he shouldn't dwell on things he knew his friend would be able to handle, he next searched for Hinata's chakra which he found three miles northwest of them, Sound nin surrounding her as well.

"Hinata-chan is fine, though she won't be for long. She's got Sound nin surrounding her too!"

Sakura grit her teeth and wound her arm up before plunging it straight into the earth.

A wave of dirt, rocks and rubble was released in its wake, temporarily shocking some of the sound ninjas and simultaneously taking out a few shadow clone Narutos' as well. "Come on Naruto, we need to get to her as soon as possible, it will be easier to fight as a group!" She ran through the opening produced by her fist and Naruto followed at a run close behind her.

"Hey Sakura-chan have I told you how cool that move is?" Naruto grinned cheekily.

Sakura rolled her eyes and let out a tight smile. "You could stand mention it more often."

OoOoOoOoO

This time when the enemy ninjas attacked, Hinata was better prepared. Maybe it was because she didn't want a repeat of last time. Or maybe so she could prove to her more endowed teammates that she was not a hindrance to the mission as Sasuke was set on believing.

Hinata had seen the disbelief on his face when Tsunade had given her the scroll to take to the Raikage. She was still quite shocked that Sasuke was able to deduce as much about the situation as he did just from one attack. Though it shouldn't have been surprising; being from a former prestigious clan and being one of the new generation's strongest shinobi, he had been bred for such tactician and political skills.

Still the fact that she had been a part of the mission did not take the sting out of his annoyed glances and the rolling of his eyes at her inability to even defend herself let alone the scroll.

This time no one would be able to pity her lack of talent.

So Hinata was quite surprised when she had already dealt final blows to five out of ten men. It seemed their sound jutsus were no match for a shinobi who solely relied on sight. It was different from those other men who were quiet and creepy and primarily taijustu users.

These men tried to confuse her by causing temporary deafness, but Hinata had seen through their hand signs and simply deflected the petty trick with a shot of chakra to her ears. The ninjas' chakra could not invade her senses if they were being pumped through with her own, healing chakra.

Hinata was currently fighting off two men with her gentle fist style, something that seemed to work for these close range battlers. Their sound jutsus were harmless if she could not hear it.

_Ah…if I cannot hear it. There is no need to waste chakra by trying to fend off their attempts to deafen me, I should just cut off all chakra to my ears and they can no longer affect me by something I am no longer using._

"_Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!"_ The two men were blasted against the surrounding tree trunks with such force, the trees themselves broke under the pressure. As the web of her own chakra was slowly fading, Hinata held her hands in front of her chest and focused on her chakra. "Kai." She murmured to herself as she cut all chakra flow to one of her five sense.

She shook her head to get rid of the awkward pressure in her temples and moved back into her gentle fist defense stance. All she could hear was a dull ringing, it was as if she had just put water logged cotton in her ears.

_Just in the nick of time too…_Hinata realized as she watched a woman with jet black hair mouth the words of yet another sound jutsu. _That jutsu would have paralyzed my body if I had heard it._

Now feeling more confident, and feeling more chakra in the pit of her stomach (no longer being wasted on her hearing) she was surprised to find that she was actually more than capable of defeating the last three opponents left. There was the woman and two men, one tall and skinny and the other average in height with a more bulky build. The woman seemed like the strongest jutsu user, whereas the men relied more on brute strength and weapons.

As if to prove her thought, the tall man summoned a scroll half his height and with a flourish he opened it and pressed a hand to a hidden seal. A shuriken as long as Hinata was tall poofed into existence. That would be a tough one to fend off.

Thinking quick on her feet even as the man took a running start and released the deadly weapon, Hinata drew figures into the air as she once again called on her self-made jutsu. "_Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!" _

Without sound to help her, she just barely had time to see the man's face skew into one of triumph as his mouth moved, "Ha! As if that would work twice!" Hinata couldn't help the small smile on her face at that one.

But the weapon was baring down on her as she pitied the man who thought he had won, she had to act fast.

The over-sized shuriken hit her chakra defense and almost broke through, pushing Hinata back a few feet under her strain. As soon as the shuriken had slowed down to her liking, she immediately stopped her jutsu, instead allowing the chakra pushing through her palms to follow as she lunged forward and grabbed the weapon in mid air. Bracing herself, she whipped her body around and shoved it as hard as she could before restarting her attack with a yell. "_Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!" _Though she could not hear herself, she watched her success as her jutsu did exactly what it was supposed to; repel.

Back towards the enemy however.

The sound woman's mouth opened in horror (Hinata could only assume it was a scream) and she ran from the weapon's trajectory. The man who had thrown the shuriken could only gape slack jawed as his own weapon became his demise. But it was not over.

The woman and the remaining man smirked as the weapon logged itself into the ground a few feet away from them, covered in blood and turned to the Hyuuga Heiress. They nodded to one another and ran towards her, the woman going through hand signs quickly as she jumped from the trees and onto the man's back. _Perfect._

They never saw the Shuriken make its second round.

Gasping for breath but unable to stop smiling, Hinata moved towards the giant shuriken and released the chakra wire that she had used to dislodge the shuriken and throw it at the woman and bulky man at the last minute. _I was only lucky they attacked together or I would have run out of tricks._

Reinstating her hearing next, Hinata checked her surroundings and deemed that all was clear. She had already scoped the new positions of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke and decided it would be better for her to go to Sasuke who was all alone and closer to her anyways. Naruto and Sakura would be able to take care of each other. _Not that Sasuke needs me to take care of him…but it's better if I go to him first. _It was one of the simplest rules of shinobi order; the buddy system.

_I just hope I'm not too late._

OoOoOoOoO

"What are you doing here Itachi?" Sasuke growled, though it was not in anger towards his brother. That _man _had the audacity to disturb his _brother's_ peace?

Itachi peered at his hands with empty eyes and then looked up at Sasuke. "I was wondering if you could tell me little brother."

Sasuke sighed and relaxed from his fighting stance. "I think it's Kabuto."

"Oh?" Itachi smirked. "I thought you had killed him as you had Orochimaru. _Tsk tsk_, Sasuke you should know better than to leave such a loyal servant alive."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I couldn't help it, I had other plans on my mind at the time and I couldn't really waste time on him." Sasuke's eyes softened sadly. "I didn't expect to see you again however."

Itachi smiled so much like his last moments of death that it seemed oddly eerie to Sasuke. The dead shouldn't _be_ able to smile again. "I must admit this was not how I imagined it would be." Suddenly Itachi doubled over as if he were in pain and began to cough.

"Itachi!" Sasuke moved forward to help his older brother but he was stilled by his brother.

"Do not come near me Sasuke." Itachi's body began to pinch away little by little and began to form crow after crow. "It seems you are right. Someone is controlling me using the forbidden jutsu _Edo Tensei._ It brings the dead back to life if you have a proper sacrifice. But those dead will be under your command." When Itachi finally looked up, the whites of his eyes had darkened.

"Itachi…" Sasuke murmured in shock.

That heartbroken smile showed itself yet again. "Please do not get killed by me, Otouto."

And that was all the warning Sasuke had as his brother suddenly dissolved away, his crows all that remained.

Sasuke grit his teeth in anger towards the person who was controlling his brother and braced himself for a formidable attack.

His brother appeared behind him with a Kunai, slashing at his neck with killing intent.

"Sasuke, move!" He warned as Sasuke barely turned in time to counter the attack with his Chokuto. Sasuke desperately wanted to look into his brother's eyes and see if the killing intent had been his own but he knew better than to look into the eyes of a genjustu user. He may already be under Itachi's spell.

It didn't seem to be the case so far but as another Itachi appeared before him, slashing downwards –trying to hit vital organs- Sasuke began to doubt himself as Itachi's genjustu was renowned for being strong yet so well made that it was nearly undetectable.

The strike hit, but was reciprocated with a poof of white smoke and a log as Sasuke jumped down from seemingly nowhere and gave a well landed kick to one Itachi and head butting the other. One disappeared but the other clone swallowed Sasuke's leg and reformed around it, effectively trapping him.

Sasuke growled and tugged against his brother's body as he tried to get away from the dangerous man. "Sasuke, you fool." Itachi muttered, his voice saturated with regret and something he had never heard from his brother before; fear. Itachi's hands grabbed Sasuke's shin and twisted just as he released Sasuke from his binds, slamming him face first into the ground. Groaning, Sasuke shakily stood, Itachi watching him warily. "If you want to survive you have to attack as if you are going to kill me."

Sasuke wiped his mouth and smirked bitterly, his head inclined. "Don't forget I've done it once before."

Itachi sighed and massaged his wrist. "Yes but then I wasn't immortal." Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Yes Sasuke, _Edo Tensei_ ultimately allows me to recover from any death blow because in reality, I am dead." Itachi's arms spread as if to show himself in all his glory. "Where your body will tire out, my body will go on infinitely. So I tell you yet again; you must attack as if to kill me. But remember that you cannot."

_Itachi is hinting at something…but what is it? _Sasuke didn't have time to think on it.

Itachi moved forward, throwing shuriken in Sasuke's direction. Using his Sharingan, Sasuke answered with his own shuriken, stopping each projectile coming his way with his own. Focused so thoroughly on this task, Sasuke was taken by surprise when Itachi's body wrapped around him from behind, pinning him in place. "This is not trying to kill me. Has my death caused you to become arrogant?" Sasuke's smirk widened and he stopped trying to escape.

"You know Itachi, I haven't thanked you yet."

The Itachi in front of him answered this time. "For what?"

"For ridding me of that treacherous snake." Sasuke bit his tongue and spit the resulting blood towards the ground.

Intrigued, Itachi started, "What are you-"

"_Kuchinose no jutsu_!" Sasuke yelled and a hawk of gold and tawny color flew forth, claws grabbing the Itachi in front of him and ripping into the body with its beak. The Itachi behind him faltered a bit and Sasuke took it as a perfect opportunity to land an elbow jab on his elder brother. His brother's hold loosened and Sasuke turned and jabbed directly for the heart. "_Chidori_!" The Clone's eyes hollowed out and crows erupted from its back as it dissolved from the blow.

"Sasuke." The voice was reprimanding and Sasuke's head snapped to the left of him where Itachi was standing, unscathed. "You realize now that I cannot die?" Itachi's eyes landed on Sasuke's arms.

"To think you would really tattoo seals into your arms and use such a petty trick like spitting your blood on them…" He shook his head as if to rid the thought and started again. "Do not drag this out longer than it needs to be, I'm sure you're aware that the true battle lies beyond me."

Sasuke growled. "I know that!" He snapped and threw his head back in aggravation. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me!" Itachi's face appeared above him.

"First, you do not turn away from your opponents, such a simple error…" Itachi flipped and slammed his foot into Sasuke's face, causing blood to splatter from his nose and making him fall. However, this Sasuke grasped onto Itachi's ankle and held him in place effectively as another Sasuke –the real one Itachi thought in passing- broke through the ground and held onto his own clone. "_Chidori Nagashi!"_ The blue lightning moved from Sasuke's hand, up the length of the duplicate Sasuke's body, and straight into Itachi.

"You used your own clone to conduct the electricity." Itachi bit out as the lightning ran through his body, making his skin start to sizzle.

The Sasuke using the chidori poofed out of existence and the Sasuke holding onto Itachi replied. "No I used myself!" Sasuke twisted his brother much like he had done earlier and shoved him into the ground. Spider-like veins appeared beneath the elder's mangled body as the air was shoved out of his chest.

"Not….bad…" Itachi murmured past the blood gurgling in his throat. "However, my body is already mending." And it was true; the long red welts marring his skin were quickly closing up leaving his skin supple and ivory. Sasuke smiled sadly.

"I will not give you time."

"It is not as if time is any object for me now." Itachi replied.

Sasuke produced a kunai and stabbed Itachi in the heart and pinning the dead shinobi in place. Itachi coughed up blood, his eyes widening from the pain. "I will use the very gift you gave me to wipe you from existence." Sasuke seemed to mull over what to say next. "I'm sorry it has to end this way."

Itachi smirked. "You knew all along." Sasuke nodded. "Then I have no regrets." He closed his eyes.

Knowing there was nothing more for them to say, Sasuke stood and before his brother could recover, he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, his eyes closed. Opening them and directing them towards his brother, Sasuke whispered, "_Susanoo_." The purple phantom grew around Sasuke, the skeleton first, then the sinews and muscles, the skin and finally the armor. Using the sword in its left hand that erupted – _the sword of_ _Totsuka_, the sword that could seal any being- Sasuke struck the healing body of his brother. Nothing signifying his brother's return remained.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

Breathing hard, Susanoo evaporated from Sasuke's body as he turned to the hollow sounds coming from the tree line. A hooded figure in black jumped into view, landing in a crouch. Standing, the man reached up and removed the hood, showing sheared grey hair and a spectacled face. But when the face lifted to view him Sasuke's breath hitched.

_Orochimaru….? Or Kabuto…._ The hybrid shinobi in front of him smiled sardonically, tilting his head to the side as if inquiring something of interest. "Sasuke-kun, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Which one are you?" Sasuke replied. He received a gut puncturing laugh as Kabuto/Orochimaru wiped at his eyes for imaginary tears.

Finally catching his breath, the white haired had much humor in his voice. "I recall asking you the same question once. What was your answer then?" He pressed a finger to his head and looked to the sky as if seriously trying to remember. He then perked up as the thought came to him. "Oh yeah that's right. _Which one do you think?"_

Sasuke glowered, refusing to answer his taunt. "Now, now Sasuke. You never were one to practice good manners…" Kabuto's eyes narrowed as he noticed a change in the chakra from the man in front of him. A sword was held to his throat, static snapping off its end against his marred skin. Kabuto's eyes widened as the Sasuke before him disappeared.

"You have some nerve resurrecting Itachi." Sasuke growled lowly. He slid the chidori infused blade across the snake-man's throat, blood spraying as he jumped away.

It couldn't have been that easy.

And it wasn't.

The wounded body fell to its knees and as Sasuke wiped the blood off his Chokuto in the grass, a movement from the supposed dead body caught his eye.

The wound seemed to be moving as if there was something festering beneath it. Sasuke watched warily as fingers slipped through the now gaping hole, then two arms, shoving their way to the outside world. The body seemed to sag like a sack as the skin and bones gave way to a new body, slimy from the rebirth.

The body was humanoid but very much snake-like. White scales rippled along its skin along with white hair and its hands were claw-like and atrophied as if not used often. Much like the vestigial limbs of a snake.

The new body quickly remolded its form into that of the original Kabuto/Orochimaru hybrid and slipped the cloak used previously over its naked form.

As he was fixing his cloak, Kabuto inquired easily, "Did you really think that would work?"

Sasuke watched quietly, analyzing. "Why is Orochimaru's chakra so present in your body and how do you have his powers?"

Kabuto smiled. "I must admit I'm not a genjustu user like you, so total overpowering would not have worked for me, furthermore Orochimaru was dead." Kabuto leaned back against a tree as he relayed his story, relaxed and at ease. _He takes me as a joke. _"But Sasuke I must admonish you, you knew I was a well versed medic nin but you didn't get rid of the body thoroughly enough. Did you think a simple graphing of Orochimaru to my own body was beyond my skill?" Kabuto shrugged. "Honestly though I must thank you for your lack of intelligence as I now have powers far more vast than before." He cracked his neck in proof.

"You forget that I've had these powers once myself." Sasuke deadpanned, "It doesn't do much use if your opponent knows your skills."

Kabuto sighed and looked to the side, his hands running through his hair nonchalantly. "Ah, but that is not the extent of my 'skills' you never took me seriously enough to _know_ my skills."

Sasuke began to move forward, slowly so as to not trigger an attack. "Orochimaru's being will take over your body and mind, you know that right? He's more of a leech than a snake." Sasuke spat the last part out with such vehemence that Kabuto had to laugh.

"Of course I know that. It's already begun. That is why I need you." He lifted his arm and pointed a scaly finger at Sasuke.

"What do I have to do with anything?"

"It's simply revenge. You've taken too many liberties and made too many enemies but I by far, am the worst." Sasuke could now see the glint in Kabuto's eyes, the conniving thoughts. "I finally have the strength to no longer be a servant, to be a tool used by others stronger than me. Though it was with the help of my master's death, I will not lose so easily." A huge snake of pure white moved out from underneath the black cloak shrouding Kabuto and shot out at Sasuke, wrapping around his body and constricting his breath.

"What will revenge get you?" Sasuke bit out, his hands pinned to his side so he could no longer use ninjutsu.

"Why it will get me whatever I want." Kabuto's face screwed up into a face full of killing intent and maliciousness. "Do you see what has become of me? This obsession I have? I am almost the exact same as you. That same stupid arrogance." the bindings around Sasuke grew stronger and Sasuke was hard pressed to find a way out before he died from lack of oxygen.

Sasuke called on his chidori once again, rupturing the white snake's skin and splitting through its hold on him in order to escape. Kabuto screamed in pain and clutched his head as if the pain emanated from there. What kind of sick hybrid body did he have when a snake was literally a part of his being?

Sasuke could only watch warily again as Kabuto seemed to be fighting an inner battle, mumbling and yelling to himself. He was violently thrashing, his body convulsing with pain. It was almost as if Orochimaru was fighting for control. _But Orochimaru was sealed away by the very sword I used to seal Itachi when he tried to take over my body during my original battle with Itachi. Even if his body was integrated with Kabuto's, so many pieces of his being have been locked away it shouldn't be possible for him to take over again._

Kabuto's body continued to convulse and at one point he had looked up and in a voice very much like Orochimaru's, he had hissed. "_Ssss_-_Sasuke_!" before reverting back into his convulsing, screaming self.

Deciding that it would be better to get him while he was down, Sasuke grabbed his Chokuto and made a run for the light haired man, sending chidori rushing through his blade once again. With a leap he was airborne, pressuring Kabuto from above, his Chokuto aiming straight for the head.

Kabuto seemed to get a hold of himself just in time to parry the attack and realizing this, Sasuke quickly transferred the chidori through his body and into his other hand, bringing that hand to Kabuto's chest instead. Though Sasuke hit flesh, his body was batted away by the still living remains of the white snake. He fell rolling on the ground a bit before skidding to a stop on his knees. His Chokuto landed a few feet away, still snapping with electricity.

Not wanting to relent, Sasuke went through hand signs and inhaled deeply before releasing a great, fiery ball of flames towards the snake-man. "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" _Sasuke sent out barrage after barrage, which the now calm Kabuto easily dodged, rushing into the tree branches and running parallel to Sasuke. Sasuke could only smirk at his good fortune which Kabuto easily caught.

Finally Sasuke stopped, running out of air, and Kabuto landed before Sasuke once again, this time chakra running through his hands and making them glow an iridescent blue. "You know Sasuke," Kabuto started as if he had never had the episode previously. "I am not here to kill you, quite the contrary." Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion, confused by the man's words. Why were they battling then, if Kabuto was not here to kill him?

Kabuto rushed him, Hands jabbing at vital points with extreme accuracy; Sasuke had seen this move before, chakra scalpels, strong enough to slice clean through a person. Sasuke dodged and moved into defense, biding his time. _The conditions are perfect, it's almost time. _

_Boom._

Kabuto jumped back as he saw the flash of light, followed by the clap of thunder. He turned to Sasuke in surprise. "You weren't aiming at me with the fire jutsu, you were firing it at the sky…"

Sasuke smirked and tilted his head up mockingly. "I made the perfect conditions of hot and cold air to produce a storm." Sasuke allowed chidori to form once again in his hand, his ears filled with the chirping sounds caused by the jutsu. The lightning struck closer. "As you recall, my ultimate lightning based attack is faster than your brain's ability to tell you to move out of the way. It is inescapable."

Kabuto smiled sardonically, amused. "Just because it hits, does not mean it will injure." Sasuke glowered at the man and decided enough was enough. Pointing his hand at Kabuto, he yelled,

"_Kirin_!" The lightning blade erupted from the sky in a huge show of light displays, striking Kabuto before he could even react.

Supposedly.

When the lightning left and the thunder storm above dissipated, an unharmed Kabuto, though winded, was present. _What…? _Everything around the man had been totally decimated, trees still smoldered from the heat.

Smiling wider at Sasuke's confusion, Kabuto elaborated. "Do you think I wouldn't know your technique that you perfected under the tutelage of Orochimaru? You forget that he is now a part of me." Sighing, Kabuto murmured under his breath, "Arrogance will be your down fall, it already is."

"How did you escape Kirin?" Sasuke raged, livid.

"It's simple; I deflected your strike to the earth." He wagged his finger admonishingly. "You forget that I'm an earth elemental user." If Sasuke did not have self control he would have screamed in outrage.

"I sense your frustration Sasuke-_kun." _Kabuto goaded, eyes glinting suspiciously. "Catch me if you can!" And Kabuto dashed off into the forest, using his snake appendage as a rope to jump into the trees.

Growling in frustration but admitting to the fact that he could not let Kabuto remain alive, he ran after his annoyance, grabbing his Chokuto from its spot embedded in the ground.

It seemed Kabuto was well prepared as kunai shot towards Sasuke from unknown locations, causing him to slow down just to avoid them all. An exploding tag landed on his face, burning, but when it went off, all that was left was the ash of a kawarimi log. Sasuke would not let Kabuto escape this time, he was pissed off, frustrated and most of all confused as to what his motive was.

It soon seemed that Sasuke's best option was to use his Mangekyo in order to wipe Kabuto off the face of the earth; he could no longer just play and toy around with the hybrid creep, it was starting to get monotonous and he still needed his own revenge for the disturbance of his brother.

_Had Itachi used his Mangekyo, I would have been in more serious trouble._

Finally after defeating a few waiting clones, Sasuke landed in the clearing Kabuto had stopped in. There was an odd rock formation in the center of the field in the shape of a perfect circle, huge boulders that looked as if they didn't belong in the grassy area. They were too shiny and too smooth to be natural rock formations.

On the other side of this striking formation was Kabuto, a ridiculously large and almost feral grin gracing his features. "Welcome Sasuke-kun."

"What are you trying to get at?" Sasuke hissed.

Kabuto ignored Sasuke's words and knelt to the ground, lifting some dirt and letting it pass through his fingers idly. "You know, when I plotted my revenge, my first thought was to just kill you. But then I thought it would be too much of a reprieve for someone as miserable as the likes of you. You must understand that I just couldn't have that." Sasuke cheek twitched in anger at the man's almost conversation like tone.

"You think I care what you need?"

Kabuto sighed and pressed his hand to his head as if slightly frustrated at a little child. "Seriously Sasuke-kun you need to learn how to use your manners, it is so unbecoming. Please don't interrupt." Kabuto smiled admonishingly at Sasuke and continued. "As I was saying, I needed to find a way to punish you to the very core, to rip," Here Kabuto's hands closed onto the air in front of him violently. "the very arrogance out of you. You see, as your sempai I must teach you manners and teach you a lesson.

"I will not waste my time lecturing you, but let me tell you: you are about to succumb to your inner weakness, to the point where you will wish I killed you, you'll be _that_ pathetic." Kabuto tilted his head to the side as if contemplating something. "Almost as pathetic as that stupid brother of yours, losing his life for a lost cause and an ideal of peace. It's such a shame he killed such wonderful test subjects; Uchihas' are so rare to come by these days." He did not look apologetic in the least.

It was the last straw.

"Do not speak of things you know nothing of!" Sasuke yelled, his emotions stirring in his chest and clouding his judgment. He broke out into a run, determined to get his hands on Kabuto.

The only indication he had was that same crazed grimace of a smile before he realized that he had done the thing he swore he'd never do. Be done in by his emotions.

As soon as his foot landed within the crudely made circle of stones Sasuke felt a force pull him towards the center, almost as if gravity had increased tenfold. He felt his hair whip around his face and his clothes loosen at the sheer force, his breath knocked out of his chest and he was literally gasping for air.

The force deposited his paralyzed body in the center and try as he might, Sasuke could not move a single inch of his body. Head bowed from the gravitational pull, he forced his eyes to look up and watch the gloating glee on the older man's face. _Shit, this was what he wanted all along._

"Sasuke, you will be bound and rendered useless by your very essence as a man." Kabuto warned smugness in his voice. It barely reached Sasuke's ears from the interference of wind and pressure within the circle. Sasuke was many things but he was not stupid. He knew what Kabuto was implying, he had seen the results of such work on test subjects in his time with Orochimaru. Those men had been positively rabid.

"It's starting." Kabuto told Sasuke.

A black seal with an ancient language written along its border appeared around the perimeter of the circle, pulsing with a white light at an erratic and indiscernible rhythm. Sasuke could do nothing as two stones uprooted from their spots on opposite sides of the rocky circle and moved to either side of him. It seemed as if they were magnetic, drawing each of his hands to them and effectively prostrating him to his enemy. "Ah, you may want to know what exactly the minerals do. They are called adamantite* and are extremely hard to come by so I had to make them myself. They are so magnetic they can interact with the iron in your blood." Kabuto shrugged to himself at his achievement. "The adamantite is how I will change your physiology." As he said this, two smaller pieces of the magnetized stone moved to either side of Sasuke's head and began to rotate around his head as if satellites drawn to a sun.

Then came the excruciating pain.

It was so painful it was borderline numbing. It pierced the core of his brain ( which was odd because the brain could not feel pain), manifesting itself as spindly needles running along his neck and down his spine, ending in his nerves. He could almost feel the pathway of each and every one. But no matter how hard he tried to scream – for the pain was too much for him to be proud and hold in his cries- his voice had been stilled in the vortex of sorts. Either that or he could not hear himself over the loud droning in his ears.

Sasuke tried his best to hold onto his sanity and his senses. His eyes rolled into the back of his head from the sheer pain and drool made its way down his chin from a lack of jaw muscle usage. He forced himself to bite through the pain and watch the pulsing seal which was pulsing so fast at this point it was almost perpetually white. It started moving then, slowly decreasing its diameter towards the center. Towards him.

His dread increased as the seal began crawling on his skin, moving up towards his head. It was a feeling unlike anything he had every felt before, like nails on a chalk board but in the sense of touch instead of sound, like he was being brushed by the hands of death itself. And as the seal culminated at his head, a searing pain ran along his scalp as the seal took root.

And then everything stopped.

The rocks that had been binding him fell to the ground with a thud. The wind died down and he was able to hear again. The paralysis that had gripped his body moments earlier vanished and without it, Sasuke collapsed onto his hands and knees wheezing and coughing. As he tried to catch his breath, the adamantite that had surrounded him and held him in place flickered once, then twice and then ceased to exist. It was as if nothing had just happened.

However Kabuto was still there and relishing his triumph.

Sasuke shakily stood, secretly glad to find he could still take part in such a simple action. He teetered to the side but remained upright. "What…the hell….have you done?"

"I have gotten my revenge Sasuke-kun, the lust of a man is a powerful thing. Almost as debilitating as arrogance." Kabuto laughed maniacally and continued in fervor, "I have brought justice for the death of Orochimaru!" The rabid man suddenly turned towards the direction they had entered the clearing from. Speaking quietly and with a more somber tone, "My time seems to be up." Kabuto turned back to Sasuke and his sardonic smile was back; seemingly back in control of his body once again. "The next time we meet Sasuke-kun, I will finish you off and the best part is you will want me to."

"H-hey!" A timid voiced called from the tree line and the lithe body of Hyuuga Hinata presented itself, presumably in defense mode. Kabuto chuckled.

"What perfect timing Hinata-chan, hope the heart is treating you well." And not waiting for an answer, Kabuto disappeared into the brush.

"H-hey!" Hinata repeated dumbly, moving to follow the evil man before her eyes landed on Sasuke's broken form in the field. "Sasuke-kun!" Hinata cried out in concern and moved towards her teammate quickly, determined to help him. Sasuke was weaving back and forth, his head bowed and covered by his bangs.

She stopped a few feet away from her teammate, concerned at his odd actions. He hadn't acknowledged her presence at all even though Kabuto had. He had yet to move from his spot in the center of the field and his chakra system was going haywire, often stopping all together for a few moments before flowing again though very unevenly. Something was not right, even the vibe she was getting from him was not one of teammates. It was predatory.

"S-Sasuke-kun…?" Hinata ventured again and this time her response was Sasuke's first step towards her. It was very mechanical, almost zombie-like and Hinata decided she should trust her gut and get away, maybe find Sakura and Naruto to help her find out what was wrong with Sasuke.

It must have something to do with the enormous pressure she had felt a few moments before she reached the site. It had been so powerful Hinata had felt her ears pop and it took a lot of energy to even move her body towards her teammate.

Hinata began to move away but as soon as she reached the tree line she was slammed from behind, swiveled, and thrust up against a tree, bark digging into the small of her back and shoulder blades. Gasping from the sudden movement, Hinata's eyes took a few moments to pinpoint her attacker and when they did, her heart stopped for a moment. "S-Sasuke-kun…what a-are you doing…?" Hinata struggled in fear but to no avail. This man was acting totally different from the aloof person she had spent the last two days with on their mission.

However her Byakugan said he was the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.

Hinata trembled nervously and tried to calm the situation by pleading with her stronger companion. She could have easily used her gentle fist style with this distance but she hesitated to harm a fellow Konoha shinobi. "Sasuke-kun please stop this. I don't k-know what's wrong with y-you, but we can get you help! I'll help you as best I c-can!" Hinata reverted back to her stuttering in her moment of weakness. Sasuke disregarded her and easily grabbed both of her wrists in his hand and pinned them above her head.

Hinata shifted against her tight bonds, slightly uncomfortable at the turn the situation was heading but still unwilling to harm Sasuke. She decided to try again with words. "Please S-Sasuke-kun we- humph!" Hinata's breath hitched, eyes wide as Sasuke's lips crashed onto her own. Writhing against her captor now desperate to get away, Sasuke's other hand pinned her in place with shock as it ran up and down her body without remorse.

Hinata tried to scream through the kiss but all that came were muffled sounds of struggling. Sasuke seemed to be deaf to her cries and instead delved his tongue into her open mouth, his hand now slipping under her jacket and to more sacred territories.

But Hinata was glued in place.

_God please save me._

* * *

_**Very important please read if you want the story to continue! **__(info is at the end)_

_Now a bit of some background info –scientific background as well- of this 'libido' inducing thing Kabuto has used on Sasuke. I am doing my best to use my knowledge to make this as realistic as possible (and having to make up jutsus on my own suck because they don't hold a flame to Kishimoto's) so some may not really care or even understand (scientists still don't know either so don't feel bad) what I'm basing this off of. So here we go!_

_*Adamantite- This is not an actual mineral or rock. This was actually a mythological "element" or precious "metal" that was used in the Greek mythology stories of long ago. It was said that Gaia, the goddess of Earth and one of the primordial beings wanted to overthrow her husband Ouranos (Uranus) from power as king because he locked their children the Cyclopes and Hectonchires(hundred-handed ones) within her because he thought they were ugly. So she asked her son Cronus, leader of the Titans to use a sickle she forged from adamant, the only thing strong enough to go against Ouranos, and castrate his father. Which he did and took the throne. I used this stone, which is not real and the term can be use to define anything hard (why we use the word for general hard-headedness :) as the imaginary rock that Kabuto uses to change Sasuke's body (I'm not sure how though, I just made it up lol) Next is the science aspect!_

_Now when humans –primarily males- have…pleasure (sorry it's quite awkward for me haha) during sexual activities, the ventral tegmental area or VTA is stimulated or active. Now this area is located on the side of the brain, slightly above the cerebellum and a little towards the front. Now since Sasuke is being controlled using this area (well supposedly…I'm just going to use it; it's not known if this actually stimulates the sexual arousal itself or how it does exactly if this is the case. The research is poorly funded and done because frankly it's hard to do an EEG on people having sex and it's not as important for saving people; bad sex doesn't mean you'll die lol.) Often in this story I will refer to Sasuke's pain stemming from that area in particular. Now having said this, the ventral tegmental area is also closely associated with the high people get from taking Heroin (it becomes extremely active in this scenario as well). So because they are so closely related, I will be using the withdrawal symptoms of heroin as Sasuke's symptoms (you may understand this better in later chapters). _

_Obviously this is a very adult topic, and adultish things are going to happen that cannot be written on fanfiction. So I will leave this option to the reviewers, please review pertaining to this or PM me because I will try to do whatever people want most, and this is integral to the continuation of this story __**meaning I will not be continuing if I do not get a legitimate answer or consensus**__. _

_**Your two options are this:**_

_**one**__, I can _not_ write the lemons and just put a break and write leading up to the lemon itself but skip it all together and continue with the story. You can imagine up all the smutty goodness you would like. _

_Or __**two**__, I do write the lemons but put a link on my profile leading to another source where they will be posted. This is where I need your help because I do not know of any places to do this so if you could please give me suggestions on sites to use, I would really appreciate it. As always questions, comments and concerns are welcome :)_

_Until Next Time,_

_Trinity Effect_


	5. Chapter 5

_So here is chapter five! It is a whopping thirty four pages long (including lemon) and approximately 16,500 words! I would originally have split this chapter and been ahead of schedule but I decided you needed to get the full effect right now (I wrote this whole chapter listening to Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO!) . I will be updating my other story next._

_I just want to sincerely thank each and every one of you who have reviewed my stories and said such nice things to about them. This past week was a huge milestone for both of my stories: This story reached 125 reviews and counting with only four chapters and my other story reached 300! I cannot thank you enough for reading my stories and allowing me to share them with you._

_This being said, I have plenty of ideas to go around so if you are in need of a story plot but don't have one, I have at least four already sitting in my brain but I'm too lazy to write them. If you want, PM or review asking for me to give you one and I'd be more than happy to :) I actually have a third story I want to start which is truly only fluffly to the extreme but I want to focus on finishing at least one of these stories first. _

_Also there is a lemon here for which the link is in my profile under "story stuff". Go there if you want to read it. Remember to listen to the song to get the full effect of course!_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_Song: Howl, Florence + The Machine_

Sasuke's hands hadn't stopped their explorations. His lips didn't stop fusing against her own. His tongue did not stop its ravaging of her mouth.

She struggled, tried kicking, screaming, wriggling to escape his grip but to no avail.

Right when she thought it was hopeless, that she would just have to sit idly as her very _innocence_ was taken from her- Sasuke was pulling on the zipper of her lavender jacket now so it seemed inevitable- she wondered if she had ever been as pathetic in her life as in that one moment.

Tears welled in her eyes in frustration of her lack of ability to change the situation. Would she remember this pressure on her body, this rough and harsh kissing, groping, for the remainder of her life? When she thought back to her first kiss, would it be this scary moment?

Hinata was just about giving up all hope that she would be able to do anything to deter the situation, heck she could barely change the dismal situations of her life, how did she expect to defeat this? Closing her eyes to her fate, Hinata didn't stop struggling but realized her limitations; she could not stop this.

And then the pressure pinning her against the tree was gone.

Hinata hesitantly opened her eyes, her vision blurred at first but then focus on a bright light.

That wasn't a light…that was Naruto!

Hinata's eyes were dazed as she pressed her fingers to her lips, the tears overflowing silently as she sank to the ground before her, relief the foremost emotion in her body. She was _saved_. _My first kiss…_

A hand landed on her shoulder and Hinata shied away before realizing that the hand was attached to a woman with a strawberry blonde mop. "Hinata-chan are you okay?" Sakura's voice was full of concern but her face was totally blank. Hinata took a few moments, just staring at Sakura in muted shock before a repeat of the question brought a jerky nod out of her.

"I-I'm okay I t-think…." Sakura looked stone faced and Hinata could see the secret question in her gaze. _'What were you doing?' _Hinata held her hands up and pleaded, her tears refusing to stop. "S-Sakura-chan I promise I d-didn't w-want that!" The pinkette stared deeply into Hinata's eyes, search for any hint of a lie. She apparently saw what she wanted because she nodded and allowed the polite smile of a caretaker to grace her features.

"Here let me help you with your cuts." But Hinata's eyes were focused on her savior.

Naruto was sitting on Sasuke's chest, his hands buried in his best friend's collar. "What the hell do you think you're doing Sasuke?" Naruto raged, his eyes flickering between stormy blue and fiery red. Sasuke was quietly laying on the ground his bangs still covering his eyes from Hinata's view. She was secretly glad; she was scared of what she would find in those black abysses. "I asked you a goddamned question _Teme_!"

Sasuke's hand shot up and held Naruto's arm in a death grip, forcing the blonde to wince under the pressure. Naruto punched the dark-haired man point blank and his hand flopped to the ground limply. "Sasuke seriously, what has gotten into you? Answer me!" Finally the Uchiha made eye contact with the jinchuuriki though it took some effort. As soon as he did however, his eyes widened and his hands went to his head, nailing digging into his scalp and leaving half-moon indents in their wake. Naruto could only watch uselessly as his friend thrashed beneath him and wait until his fit subsided.

When it did however, Naruto was seriously inclined to run; the vibes exuded from the Uchiha male were that malevolent. Sasuke growled much like an animal before he gripped his head again and stopped mid growl, breathing hard. Then, Sasuke met the eyes of Naruto and whispered, breathless, "Naruto…stop me…" The pain and anguish in his voice caught Naruto off guard and for a second he wondered if this was truly Uchiha Sasuke. What could have happened to reduce him to this pained husk of a prideful man in less than ten minutes?

Because Naruto was so distraught with the pain of his friend, he was easily manipulated by said friend.

Sasuke's hand struck out again but this time it went for Naruto's neck, lifting him off his body long enough for him to slam him into the ground and reverse their positions. Naruto coughed as his trachea was being crushed, unable to move under the pressure on his chest, Sasuke's knees effectively pinning his arms to his sides.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata screamed, worried her love would be killed. Sasuke's neck snapped towards the voice and his focus was diverted from Naruto and back to the indigo haired girl.

One moment he was seated on Naruto and choking him vehemently and then the next he was attacking the girls, kunai in his hand and his eyes set on Sakura who had moved in front of Hinata to protect her. "Sasuke-kun stop this! Please…" Sakura pleaded, tears in her eyes. It was one thing to hear his screams as he held his head in pain and another to watch as he tried to get to the woman he had been literally _raping_ just moments ago but now he couldn't even differentiate her from an enemy? Sasuke's face was void of emotion as he moved the kunai towards Sakura's vulnerable body.

Sakura was shoved out of the way and a kick to Sasuke's gut caused him to gasp and tumble backwards, Naruto standing between him and the girls. Hinata could only watch the three in horror. Sasuke got to his hands and knees and emptied his stomach into the bushes beside him, the kick causing his innards to rebel. "Sasuke, if you are playing some sick joke, it isn't funny anymore." Naruto yelled bitterly.

Sakura didn't move from her position on the ground, though she was anything but still. Her eyes were wide with fear as she shook like a leaf. _Sasuke was aiming to kill me. He wanted to kill me to get to Hinata…._ It was Hinata's turn to aide her comrade; she moved to Sakura's side and instantly began treating the scrapes on her hands and knees. "Sakura-chan…" But the pink haired girl could only watch her teammates as they traded blows.

Sasuke skid back from a punch thrown by Naruto and shook his head as if to clear it of a foggy haze.

"N-Naruto…" He murmured, his hands holding his throbbing head.

"Sasuke! What are you doing? Do you know that you've been attacking us all this time?" Naruto smiled as he realized that it couldn't be Sasuke himself attacking them. Something must have gone horribly wrong but it wasn't on Sasuke's own accord.

Sasuke gasped and looked around his surroundings, shocked at Naruto's words. _Shit…Kabuto must have succeeded. I need to warn Naruto before I lose control again._

Sasuke cleared his throat and looked up at his friend, whispering in a hoarse but rushed tone. "Naruto, you need….you need to bind me right now...that or drain my….chakra." Sasuke's hands went back to his head and he cried out in anguish again. "Hurry Dobe…I…it's going to happen _again_…" Naruto jolted at his words.

"W-what do you mean 'it's going to happen again'? What is happening?" Naruto asked in confusion and Sasuke groaned in pain again.

"Stop…wasting time! Bind me now I won't…be able…to control my..sel-" Sasuke's demeanor totally changed and he growled possessively again, his eyes only for the Hyuuga heiress. He was just about to pounce on his prey when Naruto called out to his teammates, hoping to finish before Sasuke could do too much damage.

"Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan! I'll distract him for now but you guys gotta come up with something to stop him!" The girls glanced at each other apprehensively, not sure how to go about the task at hand.

"A-ano…" Hinata started, still nervous from the violation of her body. "If I get close enough, I c-can seal his tenketsu…" Sakura's eyes alighted at the words.

"Hinata-chan can you really do it? That would be the best way to stop him without unnecessary damage…" Sakura blushed and looked away, embarrassed to be caught caring for the man who had just ravaged Hinata's body. Hinata steeled her resolve and nodded sharply, allowing the veins around her eyes to bulge and show her Byakugan.

"It's the only way to stop him a-and find out how to help." Sakura's eyes widened again but this time in surprise at the amount of conviction in Hinata's words. Sakura smiled at her comrade and nodded as well.

"I'll leave it to you then Hinata-chan." Sakura got up to help Naruto. "Naruto, Hinata-chan has a plan!"

Naruto looked back at the two in between a kick and a punch directed at Sasuke's midriff and grinned. "Really? That's great! What do you need us to do?"

Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Although she was scared of what Sasuke could do to her (and why he would want to all of the sudden after showing nothing but his muted annoyance towards her) Hinata knew this was the only way to stop him. Opening her eyes and watching Sasuke as he fought Naruto, trying to find faults in Naruto's defense- and now Sakura's- so that he could reach _her_, she was struck by the way he constantly stared at her and her alone, even with the barrage of attacks. _We…I…need to help him, he's our comrade._

Hinata pushed off the ground and slowly walked forward, trying not to pull too much attention towards herself just yet. Sasuke's eyes followed her and his tongue ran over his lips as if in anticipation. Anticipation for what, Hinata did not want to know.

"Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." Hinata said in an oddly calm voice. She would definitely be taking a risk with this one. "Draw Sasuke-kun in as close as you safely can."

"What? Hinata-chan that's not safe, what if he tries to do something again?" Sakura defended. Hinata did not know if it was because she didn't want Sasuke to take advantage of her again for her as a friend or as a love rival. Hinata scoffed to herself at the thought. She only had eyes for Naruto.

"Trust me Sakura-chan. When I tell you, please move away and cease attacking." Hinata paused for a moment to take in a shaky breath. "I'll take it from there."

The two finally nodded their consent and moved to activate the plan.

Hinata closed her eyes again, slowly moving into the ever familiar gentle fist starting stance. She remembered a time long ago when the stance looked awkward on her weak and frail body, but now she stood just as strong as her Hyuuga relatives. Taking another breath, she released it from her mouth, feeding the chakra fire burning in her belly. All she could now was wait.

Naruto and Sakura traded off on their attacks on Sasuke. When Sasuke had almost thrown a shuriken through Naruto's head, Sakura had shoved her fist into the ground, causing Sasuke to lose his footing for a second and moving the trajectory of the weapon by a hair. When Sasuke had moved to use his Chokuto against Sakura, Naruto had grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back with enough momentum that she dodged the swipe and forced Sasuke to take two steps closer to Hinata. Sasuke was going in for the kill but wasn't using his more powerful jutsus. _He doesn't take us seriously…_

Ten more feet and Hinata could execute her plan. Naruto knew using his Shadow Clones to fight would only draw out the battle; something he knew was out of the question, so he decided he would just have to pull Sasuke in.

Conjuring up his replicas, Naruto motioned for Sakura to move out of the way as the shadow clones surrounded Sasuke. Sasuke stopped and stood stalk still, taking in the new situation and recalculating for the best outcome; getting to Hinata. Sakura realized what Naruto was planning on doing and jumped back, moving behind the dark haired prodigy. Naruto nodded to Sakura as he and his clones grabbed Sasuke and began to restrain him, expecting him to rebel. Distracted by his fighting off Narutos, Sasuke didn't even notice when Sakura punched the ground yet again while screaming, "_Shannaro_!" The earth rippled and bucked beneath them, the waves caused pulling him further away from its epicenter.

But just far enough to be right in Hinata's path.

"Move!" She warned Naruto and Sakura as she moved her position. First Hinata's hands both moved forward, palms facing the Uchiha. Then her right arm moved back, arms stretched out at an obtuse angle as her right leg sat into a deep back lunge. A large yin and yang symbol with characters running parallel to its circumference glowed green on the ground, Sasuke right in the center of it. He moved towards her, a smirk of triumph on his face.

"_Jyuukenhou: Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" _Hinata yelled, her hands taking shape to jab towards her attacker. "_Two point damage_!" She glided forward, hands moving to strike Sasuke twice in the chest as fast as a scorpion sting, her blue chakra running straight through him and exiting from his back. She did not give him time to react.

"_Four point damage!"_ Another strike in his gut, one in his chest, and one in either shoulder. Sasuke skid back, his hands limp at his side and eyes wide with pain.

"_Eight point damage_!" Sasuke was slowly but surely being forced back, unable to defend himself from the lightning quick attacks, Hinata's body never missing a step or misplacing a hand.

"_Sixteen point damage_!" The strikes were quicker now, more precise and aimed at the limbs. Saliva flew out of Sasuke's mouth as his gut was punctured yet again.

"_Thirty-two point damage_!" Hinata's hands were no longer able to be seen by the naked eye. Her own eyes worked to find the tenkitsu she hit, making sure she made the chakra thrusts as accurate as possible. One wrong move and Sasuke could permanently lose his ability to use that part of the body.

And finally, "_Sixty-four point damage_!" Hinata struck both palms into Sasuke's chest and blue chakra finessed into sharp needles pierced his body. He flew back and into a nearby tree, denting the wood.

Hinata still stood in her ending position, breathing hard. She detracted her Byakugan and turned to Naruto and Sakura who were gaping at the Hyuuga heiress. She blushed madly and tucked her hair behind her ear shyly. "Wow Hinata-chan that was amazing!" Naruto complimented, running up to her and shaking her hand as if she were a famous person he had been dying to meet.

"A-ano, it was nothing…" Hinata mumbled meekly, hand flopping from the abuse but proud that Naruto acknowledged her. She hadn't even been trying to impress him, and of all the times to do so, it _would_ be now.

"Guys!" Sakura yelled from Sasuke's side, he had been knocked out for the time being. "We need to tie him down before he wakes up or we'll have done this all for a waste!" Naruto nodded in return.

"You're right Sakura-chan, let's take him back to camp and do it there."

OoOoOoOoO

The first thing Sasuke felt when he slowly emerged from the dark abyss of unconsciousness was pain.

Pain in every fiber of his being and an unrelated pain stemming from his head.

Then, slowly the pieces started to fit together in some backwards rhythm.

Why was he in pain? That's right, he had done something bad.

What was it? Something pertaining to kissing and groping a woman.

Who was it? Ah….Hyuuga Hinata, the shy heiress.

How did it happen? Kabuto had done something to his _brain_…

Sasuke startled into alertness, desperately trying to jump up and defend himself from phantom shinobi.

He couldn't move though.

Looking down at himself, he found he was bound by chakra infused rope, his arms were bound to his torso, his feet were bound at the ankles and knees and his hands were bound behind his back. Slowly and gingerly – mindful of his soreness- Sasuke turned to his side and inched his way to a seated position. His brain still throbbed.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura was the first to notice him and he didn't know a time where he had been so grateful to see her.

"Wa…ter." He croaked and Sakura instantly moved to retrieve it. She moved back and held a collapsible cup to his lips filled with water which he drank greedily. Sakura had a blush staining her cheeks and glanced at him awkwardly as if she wanted to ask him something. He made no motion to help her broach the topic he knew was on her mind, he would tell them all in time.

"Teme, you're up!" Naruto exclaimed in glee, moving to his friend's side and clapping him on the back. Sasuke choked on the water still making its trip down his throat, coughing from the odd feeling of water down his breathing tube. Sakura yelled at Naruto and slapped him upside the head. "Sorry…" He then became serious. "Sasuke you really gave us a scare earlier…" _Straight to the point…_

Sasuke finally caught his breath, and stared at his two former team seven members, unsure of where to start. He sighed and moved to run his hands through his hair only to remember he was bound tight. "This whole mission was rigged from the start." Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

Sakura and Naruto traded glances before Sakura looked for more answers. "W-what do you mean by that Sasuke-kun? How do you know this mission was…'rigged'?" Sasuke looked to the side, unable to look into their eyes. They had seen him at his worst just a while back and he was too prideful to not acknowledge that.

"Exactly what I said. First off, the mission was not about the scroll, though it was important. This mission was a political escort mission," Naruto opened his mouth to say something, probably stupid, but Sasuke cut him off. "Our mission was Hyuuga Hinata." The blonde and the pinkette still looked confused. They did not come from political ties and clan relations as Sasuke had; Sakura came from a normal family and Naruto didn't have a family since the day he was born.

"Look, we don't have time to go into details. Do you remember the ANBU mentioning the peace treaty fifteen years ago? That was the time in which a Kumo ninja visiting Konoha attempted to kidnap Hinata for the Byakugan but was killed. The resulting anger and threats between the two nations caused the peace treaty to be signed. Now that they must resign affirming the treaty is still intact, who better to take the treaty to Kumo than the girl who was almost kidnapped?" Sakura was a smart woman, she finally caught on.

Eyes alighting in recognition, she helped narrate. "So that's why the scroll was given an A rank! It was actually to guard Hinata-chan! But then why were there Sound shinobi attacking us?"

Sasuke continued; it seemed a lack of chakra loosened his tongue. "Just because Kumo signed a peace treaty fifteen years ago, doesn't mean they don't still vie for the Byakugan. If Hinata were captured or killed outside of Kumo territory, Konoha cannot accuse them of the treachery and if they did, they would lose merit with the other nations for the accusation."

"So they hired the Sound shinobi?" Naruto exclaimed, getting into the story. Sasuke's face clouded.

"Its worse, they were working with the Sound shinobis' new leader, who has something he wants from this group as well."

"Who is it?" Sakura breathed.

"Huh, new leader?"

"After I killed Orochimaru, his second in command took over and decided he would exact revenge on me. It was my fault; I should have killed him when I had the chance."

"Kabuto!" Naruto surprised his dark haired friend by guessing correct; not that they hadn't met before, but it wasn't like Naruto to put two and two together so quickly. Noticing the odd look, he elaborated. "Hinata-chan, Kakashi and I met him on another occasion over two years ago when we had been looking for you. Hinata-chan used the Byakugan on him because he looked strange and what she said she saw was 'Orochimaru had taken over a third of his body'….I don't know what that means though." So the Konoha Shinobi had already been in contact with the revamped Kabuto before?

"He integrated Orochimaru's body into his but now Orochimaru is slowly taking over." Sasuke glowered at the thought of that leech finding another outlet to come back to the realm of living. Grudgingly he admitted, "I didn't dispose of the body as I should have."

"A-ano…" Sakura raised her hand slightly as if she were in class and waiting her turn, a blush staining her cheeks again. The boys gave her the stage to talk. Sasuke subconsciously moved against his bonds, uncomfortable with his position and the turn the conversation was taking. "Why did you….what I mean to say is…" Sakura stalled and Sasuke decided he wouldn't take it easy on her. Realizing this, Sakura quite literally vomited the words. "Why-were-you-kissing-Hinata-chan!" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. Naruto turned to Sasuke, a peculiar expression on his face.

It was then that he noticed that their fourth member was not on the premise. Almost as if a sick joke played by chance, she appeared from the trees, five exploding tags clutched in her hands. "I think that's the rest of them…" She stated to no one in particular as she moved to the campfire, still looking around them with her Byakugan to detect any stray traps. When she deactivated it she gasped in surprise at the sight of Sasuke, awake.

All the while he had been awake he had felt the throbbing in his head, the odd feeling of need. But as soon as his eyes lighted upon Hinata's frame his symptoms grew exponentially the longer he stared.

He didn't know how to explain it but he was grateful for his bindings. As long as he did nothing, it didn't matter, pain was pain.

But heavens he'd never felt such pain before.

There was a physical pain within his head, stemming from his temples and radiating down his neck and along the rest of his body, some sort of pull pooling at his gut. His skin broke out with a thin sheet of sweat and his movements felt shaking, giddy almost as he instantly began struggling against his restraints, releasing frustrated growls and biting hungrily at the air.

Hungry for flesh.

It was odd, surreal almost. It felt like he was outside of himself, watching the actions he was displaying in third person from a disembodied apparition. _Sasuke…get. Control._

But it seemed it was futile. Thoughts were moving through his head, things he shouldn't be thinking and wasn't conjuring on his own. _Get her…she's so close…_

_Get her and do what exactly?_ He tried to reason with his mind.

Hinata instantly paled and instinctively moved behind Naruto, clutching the back of his shirt, fearful to look at the rabid man. Naruto instantly moved to shielded her from Sasuke's view.

Sakura however surprised them all by moving closer to Sasuke.

_Slap._

Sasuke suddenly wheezed a deep breath, as if he had been held under water for a long period of time. He was gasping, trying to keep the hold of himself that Sakura had initiated. _Stay in control…_Why was his control failing him?

He finally broke the silence, defeat tingeing his voice. "I can't….stop it..."

"What do you mean Sasuke-kun? Why are you acting this way?" Sakura cried finally, her hands moving to her face in order to hide her shame.

"Kabuto…" He started. "He…did something to me…used a kinjutsu I've seen at work before. The men that are affected cannot stop themselves from…" He looked for the word to use there. "_Wanting_…._it_. If I wasn't stopped in time…it would have continued." It was becoming easier to speak; as long as he kept talking his focus was being diverted enough to keep his affliction at bay.

"Why….why is that person me…?" Hinata voiced timidly but it was the wrong thing to say. Sasuke's eyes snapped to her hidden frame and that predatory gaze filled his eyes again as he groan with pain. Hinata's eyes widened as she realized his fits seemed to continually cause him pain. And the fits stemmed from her.

Sakura leapt into action, kneeling at Sasuke's side and raising a glowing green hand to his head. He continued to scream and thrash even as she tried to heal him. Sakura's tears became a flood. "Sasuke-kun!"

Hinata was shivering behind Naruto and the blonde turned to her and gave her a gentle pat, his eyes betraying his words. "It's going to be okay Hinata-chan, we'll fix it."

_This needs to stop….I need to stop doing this._

Through sheer will power, Sasuke powered through the heady thoughts filling his head to the brim. One thought ironically was the driving force behind it: _get them the information and tell them to knock me out…then the pain will disappear; this ridiculous need will subside if only for a while._

"This kinjutsu was refined by Kabuto in the hopes that it would subdue enemies for long periods of time without continual usage of chakra." Sasuke rushed through his words, stumbling a few times. "Humans generally give in to their 'needs' on their own accord; now that the pull is stronger, harder to avoid, shinobi generally succumb to it with no complaint." _It's not like I have a choice._

"Kabuto…. is exacting his revenge on me."

"That doesn't answer why it's Hinata-chan you're attacking!" Naruto fished.

Becoming frustrated at how long it was taking to get his point across under internal pressure, Sasuke all but spat angrily, "_I. Don't. Know!"_

_Undo the binds and kill Naruto…he's in the way…_ Sasuke groaned and shook his head to get rid of the thoughts.

Finally the truth was known to all of them. "Knock…me out…it's the only way…to keep me…from doing whatever physically…possible to get to _her_…" He made eye contact with Naruto, eyes pleading in a way never seen by the frog summoner. He truly didn't want this.

Sakura took a deep and shaky breath before slipping a pill from her pouch and pressing it to the Uchiha's lips. "Swallow it." He watched her carefully for a few moments before downing the pill dry.

And he was gone like a light.

"S-Sakura-chan what was that?" Naruto asked, slightly in awe even under the circumstances.

"A pill I use to knock out wily patients." She stood and rubbed her face furiously. Hinata-chan moved out from behind Naruto, deemed it safe and handed a handkerchief to the sniffling rosette.

"I-I'm sorry Sakura-chan…" Hinata could not stop the guilty feeling welling up in her chest.

Sakura laughed bitterly through her tears and dabbed at her eyes. "It wasn't you're fault Hinata-chan, it would have happened no matter what, Kabuto planned it all along."

But secretly Hinata knew Sakura wished it had been her who Sasuke…lusted for. Secretly Hinata wished the same.

The fear that had gripped her when Sasuke had preyed after her the way he did, she had never felt it before. It could have been because she had never been kissed before, been intimate with a man before and she didn't want those things yet, especially from _him_. Hinata was an extremely conservative, traditional girl; she wanted to be wooed, romanced and kissed by the man she loved.

Naruto.

However she had just had her first kiss and though her love had been there, he wasn't the one to kiss her.

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought to the strong hold Sasuke had held her hostage with. She hadn't been able to do anything against him, he was a comrade she couldn't bring herself to hurt and yet in a way he was her worst enemy.

Her eyes flickered to his serene face, peaceful in sleep.

The sheer amount of pain he was going through just to keep himself from her…he had been trying his best to stop it from happening, going so far as to gain control of himself in order to coach them on how to stop him…if anything that should give him some merit. _Yes, he went through all of the pain to spare me…_

She silently thanked him.

OoOoOoOoO

When Tsunade was met with a frog courier in her office that morning, her thoughts almost went back to a time when Jiraya was alive and used the same method to reach her. She had to remind her heart to stop pounding for he had been long dead.

The frog came to life, adjusting her hat and reaching into her clothes to produce a webbed appendage clutching a small paper. "Hokage-sama, this is proof of my sender." Tsunade took the paper and read the contents quietly before nodding and making eye contact with the frog. Nodding her consent in return, the frog began the message.

"As you read, Naruto-chan sent me; their group was ambushed on their way home from Kumo."

"Do they need back up? If he has the time to send a message I would assume they are fine." Tsunade voiced for the first time.

"No Hokage-sama, their opponent was the second in command of that despicable snake Orochimaru, Kabuto-san." Tsunade's eyes widened at the news. The frog mother shuddered and continued. "Apparently it is as Kakashi had reported the last time they met him; his body is being taken over by Orochimaru, the damage was more extensive this time as observed by Hyuuga Hinata."

"How bad?"

"That has yet to be determined." The frog reached beneath her cap and brought out a snack of dragonflies, offering one to the Hokage who politely declined. "However this seemed to be an alliance with Kumo and Kabuto. Kumo still wants the Byakugan which is proven by the enemy ninjas going after Hinata-chan specifically while Sasuke-chan was met with by Kabuto-san himself."

"_What_?" Tsunade whispered, fearful of what she would hear next. Sasuke had just gotten back into the village, if he abandoned them again she would not be able to safe guard his life a second time. _Naruto would be devastated…_

"Yes, however, something went wrong, and Sasuke-chan is….indisposed of at the moment. The group will arrive soon; Sakura-chan recommends having some back up because once Sasuke awakens…it will not be pretty." Tsunade's brows crashed down.

"So they have Sasuke with them? Did he try to escape or something?" The frog shook her head.

"It is a bit more complicated than that…you should allow Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and Naruto-chan explain it to you…or rather _show_ you." Tsunade sighed and nodded wearily.

"I do not have enough ANBU on hand to use at the moment; most of them are on missions…"

"Are any of the Rookie Nine or Team Gai available?"

Tsunade pondered for a second. "I know that Neji has been at the Hyuuga quarters working on some things for Hinata's father…and Hinata's teammates arrived just last evening, they were a little banged up but I'm sure they would be willing to help…" The frog winced.

"I don't know if you want so many men….so close to Hinata-chan on this matter." Tsunade began to worry but she couldn't just pull reinforcements out of fieldwork.

"Everyone else is gone; I don't have anyone else on hand at the moment."

"You'll definitely regret it." Shima croaked and disappeared.

"I hate the fact that Summonings feel the need to be vague…" Tsunade punched her table angrily.

It broke under the weight but Tsunade was too preoccupied to worry about it.

"Shizune!" Tsunade barked, stalking into her aide's room. "I need you to summon Hyuuga Neji, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba. Oh and also get me a new desk!"

Her aide gapped at her, Tonton in her arms. "H-hai!" Shizune knew better than to pick a fight with her when her expression was so convoluted. She was pissed.

_Right when I thought my problems would be over with Sasuke's integration back into Konoha life…Did Sasuke do something to Hinata-chan? Is that what the summoning was trying to warn me of?_

She didn't have time to ponder it any longer for one of the guards to the front gates ran up the stairs and towards her, stopping before her and bowing respectfully. "What is it?" The Hokage asked.

"Tsunade-sama, the team you sent to Kumo has just arrived and seeks an audience with you."

"Tell them to meet me in the receiving room. I will be heading there myself now."

"Hai Tsunade-sama." He bowed again and poofed away.

A knock rapped against the frame of the open doorway a few minutes later.

Sighing from all of the interruptions, Tsunade greeted her new charges. "Neji, Shino, Kiba, I'm sorry for the rush."

The boys bowed respectfully and stood at attention. "Tsunade-sama, we rushed here as soon as we got the word. Is there a mission?" Neji inquired, eyes clouded with confusion.

"No, I need you to come with me to the receiving room as back up; Team Seven and Hinata will be arriving there soon."

"If you don't mind me asking Tsunade-sama…why do you need back up for Konoha shinobi?" Shino murmured as quietly as ever.

Remembering the frog's words, Tsunade filled them in as they made their way to the room. "Apparently something has happened to the group, Sasuke has been quote, 'indisposed'. I'm guessing we are to assume he tried to escape." Akamaru growled from behind them. Kiba chuckled at the sound.

"Akamaru says 'once a snake always a snake and that snakes are bad; they hurt.'" Tsunade's face broke out into a tiny smile.

"Let's hope that is wrong. I need you guys to promise me you will do nothing rash; you are not to move unless a threat is legitimately being posed to someone within the room." She turned and gave each of the men a hard look. They nodded their consent.

Because Hinata-chan was specifically talked about by the frog, she was seriously inclined to believe something had happened to her. If that was the case, then she might as well have not brought back up at all, each and every one of the men before her were good and level headed shinobi (Kiba was debatable) but when it came to the shy Hyuuga Heiress, they never disappointed in causing a scene. They would kill anyone who tried to hurt Hinata.

_Why is it that since I took the position of Hokage my life never ceases to be full of crap?_

It was then that the previously closed doors opened, revealing her newest problem.

Sakura was the first to walk in, not looking too worse for wear. Hinata followed, her hands crossed consciously over her chest as she glanced back almost fearfully. _Hinata seems to be fine, at least we dodged a shuriken with that one…._

And then Naruto the bumbling village idiot walked in with a heavily bound Sasuke thrown over his shoulder. This is what started to alarm Tsunade. So what she was most worried about had happened…

Naruto deposited his charge on the ground gently, the Uchiha, unconscious.

"Naruto what is the meaning of this?" Tsunade then said on a side note. "Will someone bring in the restraining chair?" Neji left the room for a few moments before he returned with the chair. Neji moved to place it in the middle of the room and he and Naruto took to the task of repositioning Sasuke. Bindings were placed on Sasuke's wrists, arms, chest, midriff, shins and ankles. No expense was paid for securing him in place.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto began his report to the Hokage. "Baa-chan do we have a story for you!" Sakura punched him in the face and took his place. Naruto moaned on the ground and when Tsunade gave a glance to the men in the back of the room, they just shrugged nonchalantly. She rolled her eyes and turned to Sakura instead.

"Tsunade-sama, did you get our message?" Tsunade nodded and motioned for the girl to continue. "We were attacked by Sound nin on our way home, Kabuto was manning the attack specifically to get to Sasuke-kun.

"All we know from what Sasuke has told us so far is that Kabuto has used a Kinjutsu on him to…." She blushed here and trailed off.

"He…?" Tsunade prodded.

Sakura shook her head and took a different approach. "Kabuto has induced an…affliction on Sasuke towards Hinata-chan." She glanced at the shy Hyuuga who also began to blush. "Ano…maybe if you could ask Hinata-chan to leave the room, we can wake Sasuke-kun and he can tell you himself. We don't know very much ourselves…" Tsunade and the boys in the back all thought her request odd.

"Uh..okay." Tsunade turned to Hinata and asked kindly, "Hinata-chan if you wouldn't mind leaving the room for a while?" Hinata nodded and looked almost relieved as she literally rushed towards the door.

What the hell was going on?

Once the sound of the door clicking shut was heard, Tsunade motioned for Sakura to rouse the Uchiha survivor. Sakura took a black pill from her pack, substantially smaller than the one she had used to knock him out and manually opened Sasuke's mouth to place it on his tongue. She closed his mouth and moved back to attention.

It took less than thirty seconds for Sasuke to wake up. He groaned rather sluggishly and his head dropped forward, jerking him awake. He squinted for a few moments before blinking to rid himself of the binds of sleep.

It was then he noticed the binds on his body. He moved against them futilely a few times before he realized what was going on and stilled, relieved to see the Hokage before him.

But then that constant and dull pain hit him like a ton of bricks and he groan in pain again, this time more hopelessly than before.

Tsunade knew something was wrong with the Uchiha, she saw the evidence of Sakura's healing on his flesh wounds, but for some reason he was still crying out in pain though the wounds had been healed nicely. Moving forward and doing a quick scan of his body she found nothing to indicate bodily harm internally either.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called and it helped the dark haired man focus, his eyes darting around for the voice.

"Hn." He bit out.

Tsunade moved to kneel before the groggy man, forcing eye contact between the two. "Sasuke. I need you to tell me what is going on."

Sasuke's eyes sometimes gazed at her with alarming apprehension but then would glaze over just as quickly. The seconds ticked.

"H-Hokage-sama…" Sasuke started, coughing. "Where is she…?" Tsunade's brows crashed down in confusion.

"What do you mean? As you're Hokage I asked you a direct question: What happened on your mission?"

_She's close. They are hiding her. Kill them and get to her…I. Want. _Her_._

"_Where are you hiding her?" _Sasuke suddenly raged, vehemently fighting against his bonds. Tsunade gasped in shock and almost fell backwards on her bum, but Neji flickered behind her and caught the Hokage easily. She thanked him with a look and stood, watching alongside the others as Sasuke's fit of rage continued. "_Where is the Hyuuga?"_

Neji had a perplexed expression on his face as the people who did not know the extent of Sasuke's problem stared at him oddly. Last time Neji had checked- in the mirror that morning, though he wasn't specifically looking- he was definitely a man.

"He's talking about Hinata-chan." Naruto supplied, and Sasuke's eyes snapped to him.

"Tell me where she is Dobe or I swear I will tear you limb from limb!"

Kiba and Neji were instantly moving forward, both burrowing their fists in the Uchiha's collar to get a better look at him. The Uchiha just glared angrily back. "What the hell do you want with my teammate huh?" Kiba growled dangerously. Akamaru barked from his position near the door to back his partner up.

"You better mind your words Uchiha." Neji equally warned.

Sakura sighed and shoved the testosterone ridden men aside, who glare angrily back at her. She ignored them and laid a hand on each of Sasuke's arms to force him to look at her. "Sasuke-kun, snap out of it. I know you can be lucid. _She_," Sakura purposely left out Hinata's name as it seemed to only aggravate the man, "Is not here right now. Tsunade-sama can only help you if you tell her what happened." The calm tenor of her voice reached the Uchiha. He stopped his tantrum and blinked rapidly as if just waking for the first time.

"Shit…" He mumbled under his breath and inquired neutrally, "Did I do something idiotic?"

Sakura let out a relieved breath and moved aside. Naruto chuckled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Not specifically man, though you really do know how to throw a temper tantrum…" Sasuke turned to the jinchuuriki and glared.

Tsunade cleared her throat and everyone in the room turned to her. Neji and Kiba moved to flank the Hokage just in case, realizing the danger that could potentially be released. Their glares were met with cold black eyes.

"Tsunade-sama." Sasuke began, his voice becoming steady. "I may not be lucid for long so I must be quick." He locked eyes with the Hokage and tried to convey this point. "Kabuto has used a Kinjutsu seal on me that causes me…" He decided he didn't have time to sugar coat it. He couldn't help the pause of awkwardness though. "…To lust after Hyuuga Hinata."

Finally the skeleton was out of the closet.

Tsunade could only stare in muted confusion as two of the three dark haired men who were not bound all but had their own tantrums. Kiba was yelling obscenities and making motions of strangulation while Neji shouted his outrage, actually moving to do said action.

"Kiba! Neji! I called you here for protection, not to cause the problem!" Tsunade barked angrily, and the men instantly quieted, albeit grudgingly. Sasuke couldn't help the weary smirk that made its way on his face.

Her attention moving back to Sasuke, Tsunade spoke again, "Sasuke how the hell did he do…_that…_and why?"

Sasuke's pain began to worsen and he grimaced through it as he answered the question. "Kabuto wanted to exact revenge on me for…killing Orochimaru. Kabuto said himself that he wanted to kill me but decided to teach me a lesson and reduce me into a pathetic husk of what I am; hence he inflicted me with this seal that causes me to be perpetually fixated on sexual…desires. If not stopped, from what I've seen from his previous experimentations, the men will literally _rape _the woman or man placed before them." His grim face quieted even the overprotective Neji and Kiba. It was obvious Sasuke was disgusted with this notion.

"This seal is in based in the brain and seems to affect the chemical makeup of the afflicted. It is almost like an addiction; if I do not get my _fix-" _He spat the word.

"You go through withdrawals…" Tsunade murmured, moving to Sasuke's side once again. When the shinobi flanking her moved to stop her he stilled them with a cool glance. "If I may?" She held her glowing hand out. Sasuke nodded jerkily.

Tsunade placed her hands on either side of Sasuke's head and closed her eyes as she allowed her chakra to move into his head. Scanning in more detail than before, Tsunade finally noticed the seal etched into the temporal region of Sasuke's brain. _Sasuke's intuition is almost on par with a medical nin expert…_

Coughing into her raised fist, Tsunade pondered on how to proceed from there. "I have located the seal but it seems to be at least class four or higher, I'll need to run some additional tests before I can decide the prognosis and how to proceed with extraction." Her hazel eyes darkened. "Knowing Kabuto he probably ingrained a trap on the seal so that if we try to remove it, you will be jeopardized." Suddenly, Tsunade had an idea.

"Sasuke, if you are up to it, I would like to test something right now while we have everyone here. Do you mind?" Sasuke wearily shook his head.

"I don't mind." However the pain in his eyes showed his true emotions for his situation at the moment; contempt. Tsunade thanked him and pointing to Sakura and motioning for her to follow; she promptly moved out of the room and closed the door. She definitely pitied the lone Uchiha.

Hyuuga Hinata stood before her, a sad look on her face as she shuffled her feet in awkwardness. Of all the people to be lusted after (as Sasuke put it) Hinata was probably the only girl who wouldn't want such affections- if they could even be called that. The poor girl seemed so out of her element that Tsunade wanted only to take her into her arms and tell her everything would be alright.

As long as Sasuke was contained and kept away from her, it would be.

"Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan." Tsunade called to her two disciples. "We are going to test Sasuke's seal."

The atmosphere inside the room was electrifyingly tense as the men waited for their Hokage and the women to return. Naruto had moved to Sasuke's side in order to give him his unsolicited support against the three headstrong men before them. Well, two-Shino had yet to move or utter a word.

Neji and Kiba however had made their own opposition, their glares poised at only Uchiha Sasuke and him alone. The fact that he was reduced to lusting after their most favorite woman (regardless if he had been sealed against his own will or not) alone was enough to warrant his death.

So when the women returned right when they had plotted the lightning user's death, they couldn't help the aggravated looks they threw their ruler.

Tsunade moved in front of Sasuke. "Sasuke our first test is this: Is your 'afflicition' visually based or is it deeper than that." She motioned the two women to move in line of Sasuke's sights.

His eyes widened as two Hinata's stood before him, and his pain worsened. He was hoping they would keep her away from him not place her in front of him like a succulent lamb for the taking!

Without chakra reading or nose enhancement jutsus, the copies of Hyuuga Hinata were exactly the same. Not a lick of difference.

_She's here! Right in front of me, here for the taking! _Sasuke's mind hollered and he desperately tried to squash the voice telling him to get her.

"Don't fight it Sasuke," Tsunade allowed, pity in her eyes as she watched Sasuke battle himself. "This will prove how deeply the seal is ingrained into your sensory regions of the brain."

Sasuke was fearful of what could potentially happen if he really did relinquish all control to his new demented side that seemed set on bedding the Hyuuga. He could feel the need flowing through his veins, desire to touch her flesh and to make that body his…._disgusting…_

It wasn't Hyuuga Hinata who was so disgusting to him; in fact if he wasn't sealed to desire her, he could say honestly that she was quite attractive. She was voluptuous and curvy; her skin was like white silk, light and seemingly soft. Also there was something sincere about her eyes, they weren't cold and icy like her Hyuuga relatives but more like warm cream. As opposed to most loud and annoying women, if he had truly been motivated to be interested in women she would have definitely been in his potential candidate list.

Well maybe his mind was a little biased at this point and time…

What was disgusting was his insane need for her when she so clearly did not want his advances; to a prideful man like him it was sickening.

_I need her…_The pounding in his head was becoming unbearable, his thoughts had kept it at bay for a while but now his focus was turning back to the doppelgangers in front of him.

The pull he felt in the pit of his stomach told him that the _real_ Hinata was standing before him.

_If the pain will leave for a while…I'll do as Tsunade says._

Sasuke's body convulsed as he released all control and allowed his addled mind to run on its own. The others all noticed this and held their breaths in anticipation.

The bound dark haired man's head had slumped to his chin for a few minutes, the paining weakening his strength.

The strength that had left easily found its way back through a more sinister means.

His head slowly raised, a smirk gracing his features that was far more primal than Sasuke. Sasuke did smirk but not like this.

Both Hinatas before him faltered a bit, taking a few steps back in apprehension. The smirk grew.

"I know you're here." He cooed, sarcasm coating his voice. If he caught her in his clutches he would not let her go.

"It seems he becomes fixated on her alone." Tsunade said in passing, her eyes studying the Uchiha for any changes. "Neji use your Byakugan to check his chakra fluctuations."

"Hai Tsunade-sama." Neji activated his bloodline limit and watch the man as well. "As of now it seems his tenketsu has been blocked."

"That was Hinata-chan." Naruto voiced.

Meanwhile Sasuke was staring attentively at the two Hinatas. He made eye contact with each; both looked away and blushed madly. _I'll make her blush for more than just that._

"So very _similar_…" His heated stare turned and remained on the Hinata on his right side. He tilted his head. "Did you think you escaped…?" The Hinata's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. _Yes…just like that._

"Stay in place." Tsunade advised to the Indigo haired girl. "He may just be bluffing to get a reaction out of you." _Shit…this is worse than I thought…if he's able to recognize the real Hinata without any outside help, the seal must be deeply ingrained…meaning it will be all the harder to release it without any damage…_

Sasuke strained against his bonds, the restraints bending and popping under his strength. "He's escaping the bonds through sheer will power!" Neji exclaimed. The first restraint on his right hand fell to his pressure, a red welt forming on his wrist from where he had pressed against the bond. It didn't even faze him as he tested his fingers out.

Next his arm restraint broke and he reached his hand out greedily towards the real Hinata, a triumphant grin on his face. When the remaining restraints kept him back from touching her, he turned his attention to them quite angrily, growling in frustration as he began to tug on them with his free hand.

"This is going to get too far too fast, Sakura please sedate him right now." Tsunade's apprentice shifted to do so, her henge dropping as she produced the sedative. Her face – the real one, green eyes and pink hair galore- was streaked with tears.

Sasuke struggled as Sakura hid Hinata from view, angry eyes glaring daggers as his hand pushed her away from his body and thus his mouth. Naruto moved to hold Sasuke's head down and Sasuke struggled more, his eyes never stopping their search for Hinata's figure to return in their sight.

Sakura finally got the pill into his mouth and Naruto held his nose closed so that he had no choice but to swallow.

"Once he's sedated enough move him to a holding cell for monitoring, I would like to set him under detox for a forty-eight hour period with no outside stimulation and see how he does after that. I would like as full security detail as possible on his cell; he is too strong to take lightly." Tsunade commanded Sakura and Shizune who had appeared almost as if she telepathically knew she was needed. "The other three submit your mission reports and get some rest."

Tsunade sighed to herself as the group went about working on her demands. Tsunade and the men she asked to be there for back up were all that remained. "What will you do after the twenty-four hour time period is up Tsunade-sama?" Kiba inquired as he moved back to Akamaru's side and scratched the dog's ear. Now that Sasuke was being held in a cell, he visibly relaxed though he seemed to want to leave as soon as possible in order to see Hinata.

Neji was the same. "Yes Tsunade-sama, the seal is extensive, it is buried deep within the brain…a quick fix is impossible."

"I don't know to be honest. It is not fair to keep Sasuke caged up like an animal any longer than he has been in his short life. But honestly our primary concern is Hinata's safety; allowing him to be near her is just too much of a risk, though he will not kill her, I fear what he could do is far worse…"

"I recommend the death penalty." The deep voice spooked the others in the room which was not lost to its owner. "Am I really so easily forgotten…?" The sunglasses clad bug user leaned against the back wall, sulking at his new finding.

"A-ah no Shino! We were just preoccupied…why the death penalty, don't you think that's a little extreme? I was thinking torture or a lifetime sentence or something small like that…" Kiba recovered awkwardly.

"…" Shino was quiet for a while before he decided to answer the question. "No expensive should be spared when it comes to Hinata's safety."

Tsunade's brow twitched as she realized her biggest concern was not the two men who jumped to attack Sasuke but the quiet man who was plotting his death from behind closed doors.

OoOoOoOoO

"_Sasuke-kun…." A voice called in the darkness, sultry in lust. Limbs moved against his body and he was hard pressed to open his eyes._

_There…A girl with blue hair pushed her body against his, her lavender eyes flashing with need as she slid up his body and ran her hands against his chest. He shuddered in anticipation, his mouth watering at the beauty in front of him._

_The girl's lips –_Hinata,_ a voice in the back of his hazed head reminded him- moved to his neck, sucking and nipping hungrily at his pulse. His breath became haggard as he moved his hands up to grip her hips possessively._

Soft…..

_His hands moved up the length of her sides and found her creamy mounds which he squeezed, breath becoming shallow as her kisses moved lower and lower…_

_She mewled under his ministrations and he knew what would happen next…_

He jerked awake and cursed his luck as he found himself in a familiar place. A Konoha holding cell.

An exact replica of the one he had spent a hellish year in.

He knew because of the shortage of shinobi, there were at most two ANBU guards outside his cell. His chest had been outfitted with a chakra draining apparatus and his body was bound in a straight jacket which was hung by the collar from the ceiling so he could get no bearings with which to escape. He did not struggle because he knew it would only waste his energy.

After giving in to the seal, or the symptoms of the seal, his pain had miraculously vanished and he was left with a nice humming feeling; he now realized the vice of the jutsu.

Humans were a reward based being. Even the human body genetically rewarded the human consciousness in order to guide it through the necessities of life.

Being a part of a group or being identified as a pack gave the human consciousness feelings of happiness and pride; humans were social animals and trying to survive alone was dangerous. This was a reward Sasuke had fallen for; his pride of being an Uchiha had been his ultimate undoing.

The human essence also used negative feedback as a reward system. When hungry or thirsty the growling stomachs and parched throats alerted need. When the need was filled a satisfied feeling engulfed the mind. Sasuke fell for this every day.

So when the human essence rewarded the consciousness for sexual desires and fulfillment in order to reproduce and pass on their traits, wouldn't it be obvious that Sasuke would fall for it too?

Screw reproducing, the feeling of ecstasy was the one he was really fixated on, as was most of the human population.

He was pretty sure the damage was already done.

_Being here is safe…I won't be able to do anything to the Hyuuga…Things I will definitely regret._

But his body and mind were already acting on their own accord. The 'dream' or hallucination – whatever it was called- had been so vivid and so real; Sasuke was presently trying to calm the burn of desire in his veins. The throbbing headache he'd been having constantly for the past twenty-four hours or so was still present but it had reduced drastically after giving in to the desires. _So these symptoms are truly like a withdrawal…the more I indulge the more the pain recedes._

And oh how desperately he wanted to be sane again.

Kabuto really knew how to do a number on him; Sasuke prided himself on his control and ability to endure hardship. Hell, he had to live the brunt of his life alone and in fear of his brother before the truth had been set before him.

But this?

It was literally the worst punch below the waist Kabuto could have done, literally.

Here he was, caged up again to protect an innocent girl from him and his raging…_hormones_. All control of his body's needs had been wiped clean.

Now all he needed or wanted was her.

This was so wrong on so many levels….Sasuke was cruel, maybe even borderline evil; he had killed and felt no remorse.

But to force himself on a woman without her consent? He didn't think he could live with himself if he did something so low. He was a handsome man, if he wanted those things there were women of all ages waiting in the droves just for him. He could have his pick of them though he never would.

But the only woman who had given him the respect of not fawning over him for his looks? The woman who loved his best friend?

Though he couldn't be sure, he wondered if he felt so sincerely conflicted only because it was Hyuuga Hinata who he lusted after. Had it been any other woman, would he have been so set on fighting it?

Now that was an interesting thought….

All the thoughts of Hinata were warping his mind, the pain in his head began to grow and radiate into his neck and shoulders. Without his hands to release some of the tension, all he could do was moan in pain and hope it would stop soon. He knew that it would only stop if he did what the seal was meant for.

_What's the harm in letting go…?_ He thought idly, hanging his head to stretch the muscles in the most pain. He watched the cracks in the floor with hazy eyes as he swung slightly back and forth from his chains.

No, his mind was rebelling against him, wanting only the sweet release from this pain. _I cannot be that selfish…_It should be his burden to bear; it had been his mistake in not killing Kabuto when he had the chance….

He felt the edges of control slipping once again as his swinging grew faster and jerkier as he began to shake from the tremors that had decided to attack his body. _Shit…_

His heart was pounding so fast he thought it would break free from the greedy clutches of his ribs and fly away on the gossamer wings fluttering in his chest. Why must his body do such things now?

The yearning feeling in the pit of his stomach grew.

_I have half a mind to call for the guards and tell them to knock me out again…it seems unconsciousness is my only reprieve…_

Even as he told himself to take the effort and at least scream –he didn't have to be comprehensible- his voice stayed mute and his mouth shut.

_Just escape the straight jacket, get out of here and find the girl…then everything will be fine…_

_This fixation is not sane...I shouldn't do anything rash, call the guards they can stop you!_

_It would be easy to knock them out, their taijustu is nothing compared to mine…_

_Shit they should have more guards on me, at least someone on par with Naruto do they underestimate me that much?_

_Ha, even if it was Naruto even he doesn't know the extent of my power._

_This is hopeless! It won't stop._

_There is only one way for that to happen._

It seemed his mind was made up for himself. He didn't remember making the choice, all he knew was he didn't know which side of his mind was the sane one anymore. The only thing he wanted was the searing against his eyes, the jitteriness of his limbs and the half-crazed thoughts rattling in his brain to end.

So he set about his escape.

First thing on his list was the chakra draining apparatus on his chest. It continually sucked all chakra produced by his body into the holding container built into the chest plate itself. This was mostly useful in case of emergencies such as his chakra running too low; instead of getting rid of the chakra he needed in order to survive, it was stored up so if he was too deficient the medical staff could perform a chakra transfusion of his own chakra.

Smirking to himself, Sasuke straightened up within his confines and closed his eyes, reaching out to the chakra within the chest plate with his chakra sensing. _There it is._ The first step was being able to sense the chakra that was no longer a part of his body.

Just like Naruto used senjutsu to connect with nature chakra outside his body, Sasuke had been trained to easily manipulate his own chakra even outside of his body. He could by no means do it to the extent Naruto could, that took real stamina and skill and it was the chakra of the actually nature around them, but Sasuke could do it just enough to overpower the chakra drainer.

The chest plate fell to the floor, useless against Sasuke. The only reason he had been incarcerated for a year was because he allowed himself to be; did Konoha really think he wouldn't be well versed in espionage and escape tactics?

Now that there wasn't anything to drain his chakra, he felt the life return to his body. He was still shaky and coated in a cold sweat but he had a renewed energy within him. Using that energy, Sasuke easily cut the chains holding him up by the collar and the straight jacket with chakra needles. He landed in a crouch, cloth and chains falling all around him.

Next his main concern was the ANBU guards standing just outside the door. From what he could sense, he had been right all along; there were two ANBU leveled shinobi.

Sighing at the lack of challenge, Sasuke grabbed the loose chains and began to make a ruckus in order to draw the ANBU in. They easily fell for it, their primary concern was keeping him under control; they could not take even the smallest risks.

As soon as they peered inside they were consumed by red, red eyes.

Placing a well aimed kick at the door, Sasuke stepped through the threshold just as the ANBU's bodies dropped to the ground, deep within his genjustu. He rolled his shoulders to test his muscles and stalked out into the dark and dank hallway, eyes alert and ready with Mangekyou.

He did not run as normal escapees would; he knew what he was doing and was confident enough in his skills to not feel threatened by inconsistencies in his plan. That plan consisted of only one thing: do whatever possible to find Hyuuga Hinata.

_Turn back, turn back, turn back! _Sasuke desperately tried to tell himself but to no avail. He knew he was doing what he shouldn't and he knew that each step he took towards the dark haired girl was another mound of dirt being dug from his grave but no matter what he told himself his body kept moving with the goal of sweet bliss in the end. The next guards at the entrance of the holding area were easily taken out next.

Finally out in the cool air of a clear Konoha night, Sasuke took to the rooftops, searching for anything that would give him a sign as to his prey's whereabouts.

_Ah…there she is…_It was as if finding her presence reset his conscience and wiped him of his guilt.

Her chakra signature was a little off his current path, alone and steadily moving towards an apartment complex.

No matter what anyone did –he included- there was no stopping him now.

OoOoOoOoO

Hinata walked slowly to her living quarters, drained emotionally and physically from the events surrounding the past few days.

Kiba had insisted on taking her out to the resident blonde's favorite ramen stand to catch up and they had inadvertently met the jinchuuriki and Sakura there. The banter had been nice but slightly awkward for Hinata who had just wallowed in her ramen broth.

Noticing this, Kiba sweetly asked her if he should walk her home, to which Hinata politely declined –she didn't want to bother Kiba by making him walk out of his way for her sake- and excused herself for the night.

Hinata honestly didn't know what to think about the turn of events that had happened in the last twenty-four hours -which mostly revolved around Uchiha Sasuke and herself.

Mostly she felt an overwhelming disappointment for her first kiss being taken away from her and a tad depressed that her life could not just run smoothly like everyone else's seemed to. Now she had to worry about poor Sasuke who was in pain because of her; for a girl like her who hated being a burden it seemed she had become the worst one yet.

Knowing that he was trapped in a cell somewhere deep within the catacombs under Konoha while she was allowed to roam free and have dinner with friends had done nothing to quell her guilt. But what could she do?

Maybe if she disappeared for awhile he could live in peace and with his newly minted freedom intact (it truly had been only a few days of pure freedom before he had become bound yet again).

However Hinata knew that it was a futile thought. Her father would never allow her to leave, let alone the Hokage who was having a terrible time finding enough shinobi to cover the daily mission quotas as it was.

She sighed to herself as she fished out her keys and unlocked the door to her apartment.

Entering and closing the door, she neatly bent over to take off her sandals and set them on the rack next to the doorway. Padding into the kitchen, Hinata set a kettle of water on the stove, finding herself in need of a nice and calming cup of green tea.

As she waited she went into her bathroom and cleaned off the blood and dirt that had caked onto her even after her bath with Sakura during the mission and changed into some more comfortable clothes. Sakura had healed all of her cuts and bruises so all she needed was a good night's rest. She nodded to herself in the mirror and blushed a cherry red as she realized she had just acknowledged her reflection.

Before she could reprimand herself the kettle blew like a whistle, starting her. She ran to the kitchen and poured the liquid in her favorite cup. Pink and light blue daisies were raised on its smooth surface.

When she turned around her blood ran cold and she seriously thought she was hallucinating.

There, in all his handsome glory, Uchiha Sasuke crouched in the frame of her window (his point of entrance), his eyes raptured by her.

With shaky hands, Hinata gently lowered her steaming cup to the counter and took a hesitant step back.

Sasuke reciprocated by lithely sinking to his feet on the floor and taking one forward.

"S-Sasuke-kun….what are you doing here? How d-did you find me?" Hinata murmured quietly, afraid to speak period. Sasuke didn't know her well enough to know where she lived.

He closed his eyes and an almost confused expression crossed his face. "I-I'm not really sure…"

Hinata was surprised that the stoic Uchiha would actually stutter and sound broken, like he wasn't sure what was up and what was down anymore. This gave her a tiny bit of confidence that he meant no harm so she moved closer to the boy, eyes searching him for any sign of a fight or problem.

"No…don't come any closer." He held a hand out and she stopped moving mid step, not wanting to agitate him. Somehow Sasuke had escaped Tsunade's requested watch; she had to be careful with him.

"Why? What's wrong…?"

"This isn't right. I'm not supposed to be here…" He shook his head and stared at his hands, lost for words. Her eyes followed his and she saw his hands shake uncontrollably, as if he was fighting his very own body. _Well technically with that seal he is…_

And then she reminded herself just how dangerous this man before her really was. He seemed to notice her realization as he glanced at her, eyes hard and cold. Still unable to shake her compassionate side, Hinata wrapped her arms around herself – which caught Sasuke's attention for a few moments, unable to look away- before she gently spoke again, her voice slightly more steady. "Sasuke-kun, tell me what's wrong. Let me help you." She slowly moved closer to him, but he was too preoccupied by the new position of her arms to notice.

His eyes moved up to her face and he watched her a few moments longer, leaning back as if trying to stay as far away from her as possible while being glued to the spot. "I feel like shit." He acquiesced as Hinata winced at his words –well namely one.

"I'm s-sorry." Hinata whispered. "It's because of the seal?"

Sasuke nodded once and turned to the side, not wanting to face his bane. Her.

"If I may…c-can I ask a question?" Sasuke turned sharply to her and glared with coal black eyes. Hinata visibly gulped but continued as if he had said yes. "Why is this h-happening only with me?"

Sasuke suddenly surged forward, his hands easily catching hers before she could even move to defend herself. He held her hands in one of his much like before, moving them to her side as he pulled her to his frame, his face inches from hers. It was her turn to lean back with white eyes wide in terror. He moved to bridge the gap, dark eyes glinting strangely.

Hinata shivered in his hold though she was definitely anything but cold with his body heat searing against her body. Sasuke gingerly lifted some silky strands of indigo hair to his face and inhaled deeply, making a satisfied noise deep within his chest which rumbled against Hinata's petite body.

This action brought about a slow dread in the man's eyes as he pushed her away just as fast as he'd reached for her, pinning his arms against his sides and glancing at them as if they had betrayed him.

They were at a stalemate, Hinata holding herself, still staggered back from when Sasuke had shoved her and Sasuke who had tried to move further away from her but was unable to. Both glanced warily at each other, as if the other would attack. _Sasuke actually might…_

Sasuke slowly relaxed his arms and answered her question, though it took him a while to formulate the words. "I think…From what I've been able to deduce, it seems the reason why I want only you," Hinata's breath hitched here, "is because you were the first person I saw after the seal was placed." The bitterness in his statement shocked Hinata and she couldn't help but feel she was in more danger at this moment than when he had grabbed her; he was that angry.

"O-Oh…" Hinata murmured, unable to say anything else. Sasuke's eyes bored holes into her head and she blushed madly, hands beginning to squirm under his gaze.

"I am very unstable of mind right now." Sasuke continued, bitterness still clinging to his tone. "If I don't leave now…I don't know what I'm capable of doing in this state." He gripped his head and groaned in frustration and pain. "It is excruciating but it only stops the closer I get to you…" She knew what he meant by those words: the closer he got to getting her the way the seal was intended for, the less pain.

"I understand your pain…but shouldn't you be under w-watch?" Hinata asked, mostly concerned about the potential trouble he could get into.

"Yes." Sasuke replied though when he turned to go he hesitated, as if he couldn't make up his mind on what to do. "I should leave." He reiterated, but when he moved to do so, Hinata gasped as a wind gusted past her and Sasuke stood before her, surprise on his own face at his actions. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze now that he was up close, especially after he had touched her the first time.

That's when Hinata noticed blood staining her light clothes.

Lifting her shirt with both hands to see the evidence for herself, Hinata looked up in shock, finally finding Sasuke's wounds –his clothes were so dark she had not seen the blood seeping through. God there were so many; they must have reopened from when he had come here!

Everything at the moment took a back seat as she squeaked out a quick "Don't move!" before disappearing into her bedroom, sounds of rummaging to be heard stemming from there.

As she searched, Hinata's mind raced. _I wish I could help him…but the only way would be to…no. What about Naruto-kun? I can't do that…_

But the thought of Naruto's best friend Sasuke struggling with debilitating pain because of her only caused _her_ more pain. The look that had been on Naruto's face when he had been fighting Sasuke to keep him away from her…he had been extremely scared and saddened when he had thought Sasuke had betrayed them once again. And when Sasuke had proved it wasn't him attacking on purpose…the pure joy on his face had been unwavering. She didn't want to be the reason they fought a second time.

_Naruto-kun is always giving up things to take care of others…even me. _But how could she help Naruto's friend now?

Finding what she needed, she moved back to where Sasuke was; he hadn't moved a muscle. "What are you doing?" He stated gruffly.

She slowed down as she neared him and gave him a calm, sincere look, wanting only to help him. He did not stop her this time as she approached him.

Placing the first-aid kit on the dining table, Hinata opened it and procured alcohol wipes to clean his wounds. Sasuke looked reluctant but did not deny her as she set about cleaning and wrapping his wounds.

They were fairly small cuts in very unfortunate spots which cause a lot of unnecessary bleeding, so Hinata quickly cleaned them out and applied a homemade salve before wrapping them in bandages. Normally Sasuke wouldn't let anyone touch him, even to heal (Hinata had seen him rebel once when she had been visiting Kiba in the hospital) so the fact that he had yet to move or complain probably had something to do with the seal. Hinata took in a shaky breath at the thoughts she had had earlier.

Hinata had almost finished her work when Sasuke pulled her closer, his face at her neck and hands resting on her hips. Hinata dropped the gauze she was wrapping around his arm in surprise and blushed as his hand moved up and cupped her breast, squeezing lightly while he nipped at her neck.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Hinata's hands fluttered on his shoulders, wanting to push him away but unsure on how it would be received.

"I…I can't stop." Sasuke sounded so frustrated, as if he was still trying to fight his need but was failing. She couldn't see his internal battle, but she felt the turmoil within him and sympathized greatly. "It…It is too painful." Hinata's heart broke even more at those words and she pushed him away long enough to look into his eyes.

Hinata closed her eyes and whispered, hoping that not seeing his face would signify her not _actually_ stating the next words. "I w-will do whatever you need me to in order to feel b-better." She opened her eyes as she took a deep breath and Sasuke's black eyes were guarded as they searched her face.

"Don't…" Sasuke's lips moved to whisper in her ear, breath tingling the tiny hairs there. "Don't make it that easy." Hinata shuddered at the feel and the pleading tone of his voice. "At least try to fight it if I cannot."

However Hinata's mind had been made up as soon as she thought of Naruto. Pushing against Sasuke chest –which made her blush to the tips of her ears- Hinata stood her ground, eyes surprisingly determined. "Sasuke-kun, I-I know we don't know each other very well, but I am not doing this because I'm giving up on you." Sasuke opened his mouth as if to deny her statement but she cut him off, passion for her words making her lack manners. "I am a Konoha shinobi as are you. And when I see a fellow comrade in pain I will do e-everything in my power to stop it; especially if it is me causing it." Hinata glanced at her feet, shy even while speaking proudly. She steeled herself and looked up at him again, surprised at the imploring look in his eyes.

"I will do that for a comrade because that is my Nindo way. Naruto-kun would do it for you, so I will too." Sasuke started at the mention of Naruto and he glanced away mildly, wondering if her words were true.

Sighing and running his hand through his hair- one hand was still on the blushing Hinata's waist- he still felt as if he couldn't give in.

"Whatever your Nindo way may be…don't pull me into this assuming I want it." Sasuke bit out. Hinata shook her head to signify she thought no such thing. "I just want this despicable hold on me to end."

"W-why don't you explain it to me…?" The invitation made Sasuke's body sag, as if he was finally letting go of everything. He closed the gap between them and pressed her soft body against his hard one, looking down at her with what seemed like muted respect. She had just offered to take away his pain…but at what potential cost?

"I can't control my body anymore; my veins...they're burning…" He closed his eyes, swallowing his pride as he continued. He never talked this much, his words rushing out of his mouth."And the only time it stops is when I indulge in these foreign thoughts in my head."

So he kissed her.

Hinata didn't really know what she was expecting when she finally decided on helping the Uchiha man before her. Maybe he would decline and find a new strength to leave? Or maybe it would be slow, gently taken into the bedroom –was she really going through with this?- and, well, she didn't know what from there; she wasn't experienced in the ways of love.

Thought this definitely was not love.

So when Sasuke's lips crushed against hers, she felt something break within the male, as if his last barricade to his new found affliction had crumbled into pieces at her kind offer (that was all it could be called). And from there it had only progressed like wildfire, Sasuke's hands roaming her body with a renewed passion as he slowly walked her back against the nearby wall.

Hinata gasped as her back hit the hard surface and Sasuke took the opportunity to delve his tongue into her mouth, lashing out against her more subdued appendage. She didn't know if she should reciprocate his actions or how to even begin to, so she gently applied pressure on his shoulders in order to get air and hopefully some space.

She got neither as Sasuke's lips instantly fell to her neck, effectively taking her breath away as he sucked and ran his nose along her sensitive skin. "S-Sasuke-kun…I d-don't know what t-" Her breath hitched as he bit down on her pulse, growling at the feel of her beneath his lips. His tongue swirled on the affected area and a new sensation ran through her body at the action, making her breath even more erratic.

"Just…copy me." Sasuke's voice replied in between hot kisses as one of his hands slipped up her shirt to expand the full width of her stomach. "Soft…" He murmured and moved his lips back to her still ones.

This time Hinata did her best to return Sasuke's kisses, though in the back of her mind something started to voice how out of place and how stupid she truly was. Why did her kindness always get her into trouble?

Sasuke was unaware of her mental retraction as he moved his hand to her butt and squeezed, hard. The Hyuuga squeaked under the pressure and jumped up a few inches, pulling away and taking a few steps backwards but inadvertently closer to the bedroom. Smirking at the new challenge, he stalked forward, undressing Hinata with his eyes and hoping to do the same on the bed.

Hinata stumbled over the threshold of her bedroom but felt no comfort at the sight of the cream and lavender room. She continued to walk backwards, still wary of Sasuke's actions after the impolite grab (did she think he was going to use her body respectfully?) but unable to voice it. The back of her knees hit her bed and she fell on top of it, backpedaling over the silky sheets as Sasuke followed her, eyes glazed over in lust.

And there she stopped as her head hit the backboard ungracefully. Forgetting Sasuke in her moment of pain, Hinata turn to glare at the inanimate object as she rubbed her head to rid the dull ache in her head. However when she turned back around she started yet again –she was doing that a lot recently- in surprise at the sight of Sasuke, only a few inches from her face and hovering over her. His hand reached out to cup her face in a mockery of a lover's caress as he leaned forward and captured her lips again, but this time with an underlying fervor.

This time his hands slipped further up her shirt, gripping her breast over the bra she was wearing, making her whimper at the new sensation. His kisses had yet to stop; his tongue was just as smarting in his passionate throws as it was when he used it to speak. If it wasn't trying to make its way down her throat, it was moving along her skin and leaving a fiery blaze in its wake.

And that was what surprised her the most. Her body easily responded to his ministrations when she didn't try to overanalyze things. Now that they were on the bed and she slowly got used to his touches on her body, now when he kissed her, her heart fluttered oddly. When he ran his hands against her body she couldn't help the whimpers and tiny sounds she made in return to the oddly nice feeling she felt. And when he pressed kisses against her skin, she felt like she was dying and going to heaven every single time.

_No wonder everyone wants to experience this…_Hinata thought idly as she finally got the hang of kissing Sasuke back, which he seemed to take as an invitation to continue further.

He retracted his hands from her body and Hinata almost-_almost_- cried out in disappointment. She caught herself before she could embarrass herself further but was shocked by her own actions.

However when his hands returned, to the buttons of her night shirt, Hinata's hands instantly moved to stop his, unsure and scared of the next step. His eyes met hers and the smirk that had not left its place grew as he slowly pried her fingers from his hands and quickly set about the task of unbutton her garment. She closed her eyes, unable to see the deed done.

OoOoOoOoO

**Lemon**

(Link can be found in profile)

OoOoOoOoO

When Hinata suddenly realized what they had just done her eyes moved to his and the tears came then, more heartfelt and desolate than before when her need had betrayed her.

Sasuke was at a loss of words, guilt welling into his very core. He was the worst kind of man to break a girl's dream, take her very innocence away, in his selfishness of wanting his torture to go away. Not knowing how to console the girl who had pressed her hands to her face in attempt to hide her tears, Sasuke pulled them away, taking with them her last mask to their actions. Her eyes were puffy, her nose was sniffly but even in her temporary ugliness Sasuke apologized profusely with his eyes as he desperately tried to wipe away her tears. Even he knew what he had done was wrong, he had become the lowest of the low and though it was too late to go back and reverse everything, all he wanted to do was just that; to take away his moment of weakness when she had offered to help him or just wipe himself off the face of the earth completely so he couldn't hurt her the way he had.

He moved to pick up his clothes, knowing his presence would only make things worse and he was determined to not make her life any worse than he already had. When he turned back to look at her, fully dressed, he found her asleep, tears still falling down milky cheeks.

"I'm sorry." He murmured to the unconscious woman and moved back into the living room from which he entered. He happened to glance into the kitchen before he left and his eyes strayed to the pink and blue flowered mug.

The tea had long since gone cold.

* * *

_Okay you can now go look at the lemon in its entirety on my livejournal account. Please review and tell me how you think I did because this will be a reoccurring thing and so I will need pointers on it as this was my first time writing a full on lemon. I will also need plenty of ideas for scenarios so let out your prevy side and give me some ideas! (there are going to be a LOT of lemons in this story to come...) I don't know what I got myself into, I was blushing so madly the whole time I wrote it and I felt thoroughly awkward lmao. Oh well, I'll do it for you guys but I'll need as much help as I can get!_

_Until Next time,_

_TrinityEffect_


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter and the next one are both dedicated to my dear friend on fanfiction, Hinata6 who allowed me to bounce ideas off of her and who helped round out this chapter and the next when I was starting to doubt myself. Thank you Hinata6 I hope I did this justice! If you haven't already read her stories, you need to go do that right now. Don't even read this just go read hers, they are awesome! :)_

_Remember to listen to the song to get the full experience of the story :) There will be a few explanations at the bottom that may prove useful to you, read them! I can't believe we're already at chapter six! This chapter is 31 pages long and 14,505 words :) I hope you enjoy it, I'm sorry if it sucks…_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_Song: Paradise, Vanessa Carlton_

Hinata groaned as sunlight slipped through her blinds and bathed her in warmth and light.

Oh if only she could just sleep for another…twenty five years she'd be forever grateful.

She groaned again as she yawned and stretched much like a cat, unwilling to open her eyes just yet. Laying there for a few minutes she settled in the peace of her mind, half-awake but oddly warm, fuzzy.

Taupe eyes blinked open, taking in the light of a new day but her body was still lethargic, it felt as if she were weighted with boulders or the weight of something she did not want to acknowledge or confront just yet.

She took to watching the dust motes in the hazy sunlight that had aroused her from her sleep, watching the ebb and flow of the air currents. The peace seemed as if it wouldn't last long. Sighing, Hinata glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand and a small smile of amusement graced her features.

A little past eight in the morning.

She never slept past six.

Could she just envelope herself in her blankets, let the comforting warmth and plush softness absorb her until she no longer existed? No, her cousin and sister would miss her too much. Kiba would throw a fit and Shino would sulk.

The smile flittered over her lips again.

With one final stretch of extremities she moved towards greeting the morning, slipping onto the balls of her feet lightly and running her fingers through her hair.

That's when she noticed she was naked.

Eyes widening in alarm, Hinata glanced around her room for any offending features. Her pants, bra and shirt were folded and set neatly on the chair in the corner of her room though she didn't remember setting them there, let alone taking them off.

And then she remembered.

_Don't think._ Her mind cautioned and she relented, moving into the bathroom in order to go through her daily routine.

Brush teeth, wash the sleep from her face, tie hair up, turn on the shower to scalding. Her hands moved mechanically and she wondered idly if she was going through shock.

It was oddly surreal, she knew the events that happened last night but her mind continued to keep the thoughts at bay. She felt the telltale pains in her abdomen, she ached from the new strain and usage of muscles that had never been strained in the ways she had used them last night and she could feel the awkwardness between her legs.

The water burned her skin but she made no move to change the temperature. She stood there under the torrent of water in a dazed state, watching the drops run onto the tip of her nose, holding on to their last vestige before slipping down the drain with their brethren.

Slowly she began to wash her body, but was surprised to find each time she scrubbed the pressure she put on her skin grew as did the urgency of her motions. She was scrubbing so hard that red welts were appearing on her porcelain skin, angry and irritated.

She knew this was not normal, that hurting herself was not _sane_, but it took more willpower than it should for her to actually stop and it scared her. Wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to protect herself- from what she didn't know- Hinata leaned forward and pressed her forehead again the cool, wet surface of the tiles, closing her eyes and forcing herself to breathe deeply. _It's okay._

But in reality she didn't know if that was true. She wouldn't let herself think too hard on it, honestly when one tried to delude the mind it was _not_ okay. Maybe it was better this way, to believe that nothing changed.

Hinata stood in front of the foggy mirror, the hazy outline of her form all that she could see without her Byakugan activated. When she removed the barrier to reveal herself, would she still look the same? Would she be any different?

Steeling her hesitance Hinata wiped her hand over the smooth surface of the mirror, effectively dispersing the condensation that hid her from herself. She took a deep breath and the girl in front of her did the same.

Her long dark hair was still there, the indigo sheen the same as always. Her face was the same, pale and framed by the blue tinted tresses. Her body was wrapped up in a warm fluffy white towel but she knew her body was unmarred. Her hand stroked her cheek idly as she continued her enthralled perusal.

Her eyes were even the same, light, gentle and soft. Surely after what happened her eyes would change? Perhaps she'd wised up?

The only change in her reflection was a bruise on her neck, a few shades darker than her skin tone and slightly reddened. She reached out and touched her twin on the other side of the mirror, tracing the mark against the surface.

The perfect outline of teeth marks could be seen.

_Don't think._ Her mind reiterated as she continued to move her fingers against the glass.

But what about a possible pregnancy? Her eyes dropped to her belly and widened; the thought finally stirring emotions from within her. A few tears slid silently down her cheeks.

She needed to leave her house; she needed to get out of the oppressive place before she hyperventilated.

Tying her Hitai-ate around her neck with shaky hands she walked out of the bathroom, unable to even look at the room in which she lost the one thing that had truly meant something to her; regardless of if she ended up with the man she loved –the chances were minimal- she would no longer be able to give herself to him fully. And if it were a man her clan arranged, she would probably be ridiculed _after_ bringing shame on her family.

Hinata rubbed furiously at her face as she left the apartment in a rush, slamming the door in the process.

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke stared bitterly at the door of his cell as he sat against the opposite wall, his arms on his knees and his head hung in defeat.

The cell had been absolutely worthless in stopping him but now it was his personal hell. All it did was give him time to think and it was like rubbing salt in a wound. A fatal wound in the chest with no hope of survival.

As soon as he'd reached the cell and released the ANBU guards of his genjustu, he had placed a genjustu trigger on the door: whoever stepped through the threshold or touched it would be placed under the illusion of Sasuke still being hung from his bonds when in reality he had escaped them long ago.

It wouldn't be too long before Tsunade came to check up on him to see if his term should be extended.

After what he did he truly believed he should rot there.

The symptoms of pain he had been experiencing dissipated as soon as he had finished his…tussle in Hyuuga Hinata's sheets. He buried his face in his hands as he remembered what exactly he had done.

Was the girl insane? She had willingly given to him the one thing he begged her not to and now how could he repay her the one priceless thing that determined her value as a woman? High class society was not kind to trespassers of the rule and law.

He had literally robbed her, taken her very happiness from her. Sure she could return to a semblance of normalcy but the damage had already been done.

It had already been goddamned _done_.

That one special moment in her life, the one she should have given her one true love was gone. Taken from her grip by his greedy little hands and thrown on the ground. He'd probably smashed her heart into tiny pieces; those tears had been real and her sobs had been debilitating.

Sasuke roared in anger and slammed his fist into the wall, busting open a knuckle and smearing his bright red blood across the wall.

He continued to scream, not knowing why he was so bitter, so angry, but the truth was he was crying out in anguish in the only way he knew how. He had fallen for Kabuto's trap and done the one thing he would never have done, the one thing he swore he would never do.

He was scum.

But a part of him could not get his amazement at the beauty of the moment out of his head. He'd never experienced anything like that before; it had felt in a sense, exhilarating. It didn't make sense though and he pinned the girly feelings on the damned seal fixed on his brain but he still could not lie to himself.

Though it had been wrong, a grave error, his body and mind could not get the moments out of his very being. Was it wrong for him to secretly enjoy the intimacy he and the Hyuuga had displayed the night before? Yes. But could he help it? No.

It was his inherent maleness he presumed in depressive amusement, the sarcasm of the thought tugging at his lips ruefully.

He heard the grinding of metal clicks and locks before a voice echoed into the room. "Glad to see you're still here Sasuke." Sasuke activated his Sharingan as he pulled himself to his feet hurriedly, watching the people in front of him for any sign of insight into his genjustu. Tsunade was looking up into what was actually empty space so everything was good so far.

Tsunade sighed as her charge didn't reply, his face set carefully neutral.

"How are you feeling Sasuke?" She called out again and turned to her attendants. "Get him out of his binds will you; lock the door first though, if something happens we can't let him escape."

_You're too late on that one._ The smirk that graced his features earlier returned.

Raising an eyebrow, Tsunade glanced at him oddly as he dropped to the ground, rubbing his chaffed wrists from his bindings. The real Sasuke merged with the fake one at this point so there would be no inconsistencies and there would be no threat of being found out. "Did I say something that was funny to you?" Tsunade's hazel eyes danced with humor. So far Sasuke was acting normal; it was a breath of fresh air.

"Not particularly." Sasuke mumbled, meeting her eyes. Tsunade's breath caught as she peered into those seemingly soulless depths.

Why did it seem like his eyes were a more desolate chasm than before? It was as if he were pleading for her to realize something, to allow him to atone for something horrible he had done.

But where would they start? He had done so many heinous things there would be no end to his hardship.

Noting she wouldn't get any further in the line the conversation was taking, she motioned for Shizune, who stood in the corner of the room to move forward with a notebook and pen. "Have you experienced any symptoms in the past forty-eight hours?"

Sasuke's mouth opened and then closed. Finally he replied. "No I don't feel any symptoms right now."

Tsunade smiled. "That's good that may mean the seal is temporary or that the effects only last for the initial time in which the seal was set."

Sasuke nodded noncommittally, staring at a point past the Hokage's shoulder in deep thought. Tsunade cleared her throat to gain his attention once more.

"If you don't mind Sasuke, I'll need to give you a physical to see if you are ready to be released. It will be nothing more than a regular check up. After that I will need for you to come with us to the hospital where we can do further testing." Holding her arms out she waited for her attendants to push back and tie off her sleeves. Sasuke nodded to her request smoothly.

Tsunade smiled. "Good." She moved forward and held her empty hand out which was instantly filled with a stethoscope which she placed in her ears. "If you could please remove your shirt." Sasuke shrugged out of his shirt and closed the distance between the doctor and patient, closing his eyes as he followed her breathing instructions. She nodded her approval. "Everything seems fine here."

The stethoscope was replaced by a flash light which was directed into each of his eyes at random intervals. "Shizune, Pupil dilation is normal bilaterally." When Sasuke gave an inquisitive glance, Tsunade smirked and explained. "Usually when humans are aroused, whether through sexual means or through the fight or flight nature of adrenaline, the pupils tend to dilate. I noticed when you woke up in my office your pupils were dilated even without extra exposure to light." Sasuke shrugged off handedly though a very faint blush dusted his cheeks. Talk about getting the sex talk from the _Hokage_…

Tsunade laughed at his expense which earned her a glare but she ignored it as she continued her routine tests, every once in a while directing Shizune to write things down. Sasuke stood still under the scrutiny, hoping it would finish sooner than later.

"Okay, you're body checks out as in general health so we should probably take a crack at that seal." Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Is the room ready?"

"Hai Tsunade-sama, exactly to your specifications." Tsunade nodded her approval.

"Sasuke we're going to have to chain you up again as we take you to the hospital." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the irony as two ANBU officers- the very ones he easily defeated the night before- flanked him and forcibly bound his hands behind him. Instinctively he fought against the rough treatment but one look at Tsunade and he stopped knowing he would only look incriminating if he did anything stupid.

So when they blinded him with a sack over his head, Sasuke was seriously inclined to beat them up just to prove that no matter what they did the damage had already been done, that these petty 'precautions' had no effect.

He was pulled roughly by the elbow into motion, the group marching off to the hospital, the detail on him more thorough now when he was actually behaving than when he was truly out of it.

But in the confines of his little bag, Sasuke truly cursed every single thing in his life that just never seemed to go right. He couldn't tell them that they were too late and he'd already gotten his hands on the prize; the Hyuuga. He wasn't feeling any negative symptoms anymore in fact the dull thumping in his head had left a slight buzz in his head but he feared that one thought or one wrong move would bring the onslaught of back breaking pain once more. The fear translated in his movements, his steps deliberately light and slower than the rest, jostling his head could cause the pain to come back.

Again he grudgingly commended Kabuto for a job well done. He had taken away his health (it wasn't healthy to lust after someone that strongly) and sanity both of which he needed to survive. Especially one as prideful as him.

Finally the rush of cool air signified the entering into the hospital facility and after tripping up a few stairs, they reached the room that Tsunade had asked for. Sasuke heard double doors open before the sack was ripped from around him and he was released from his bonds. Slightly bewildered from the sudden sensory overload but hiding it surprisingly well, Sasuke blinked a few times as he took in his surroundings.

They were in a large room with no windows and only one entrance; the one they had walked in through. On the ground a huge intricate healing seal had been embossed, the shape of a shuriken overlaying a square with thousands of symbols etched in between the geometric shapes. At each point of the square a medical ninja sat cross-legged wearing the typical cream and white robes and hat of such stature. The shuriken points each held two fires flanking a kanji symbol he couldn't read from his position.

Sasuke stood in the center, a circle surrounding him.

"Sasuke please lay down and we will begin." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as his suspicion was piqued; he had a new loathing for seals.

"What exactly are you 'beginning'?" Sasuke bit out.

Tsunade sighed and took her place at the top of the square, the doors behind her. "We're going to do an in-depth analysis of your brain to see how deeply the seal is imbedded. With this knowledge, we can go about making a treatment plan." Sasuke jerked his head once and languidly dropped to the ground and positioned himself as she directed.

"Good. You'll feel an odd tingling sensation as we examine your body but don't move, if we lose concentration we will get invalid results and we'll have to do this a second time." Nodding, Sasuke closed his eyes and waited for the biopsy to begin.

The circle around him glowed green as the medical staff at each corner focused their chakra and began the process. Tsunade was right, it did tingle.

But then he felt that foreboding feeling, the feeling of nails against a board or the fingers of death caressing his skin. Eyes opening, Sasuke watched with growing dread as a seal -much like the one making his life a living hell- began to run along his skin, making its way to his skull. Not if he could help it.

Sasuke thrashed as the seal continued to move up the length of his body, one tendril lying against his chest and another on his arm. The seal slowed and faltered as he yelled and pulled at the chakra holding him down. The tingling in his limbs grew numbing but he continued to fight. The seal dissolved and he was left breathing hard, moving his heavy hand over his face in relief.

"Sasuke!" Tsunade yelled, none to nicely. Sasuke snapped his chin up so an upside down Hokage met his glaring view.

"I'm _not_ going under any other seals!" Sasuke growled and his fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.

"This is to diagnose the seal! We can't remove it unless we do this." Sasuke sighed in exasperation and mumbled out a quick acquiesce before turning so he was lying down properly. _If this is the only way to take off the seal I'll do it._

"Are you ready?" Tsunade clarified. Sasuke grunted and nodded once more.

This time Sasuke watched as the newly minted seal inched its way across his skin and towards his head. The tingling was still there but now that he was concentrating it seemed to hold the negative feelings of the seal at bay. Taking deep and calming breaths, Sasuke closed his eyes as the seal moved out of his line of sight and a warm almost painfully hot sensation began in his temples.

"Shizune!" Tsunade called, her fingers pressed together in front of her, her hair flapping wildly as she concentrated on the seer chakra pressure being produced before her. "The seal is in the temporal area of the brain and has gone through the dura mater(1)." Shizune nodded and jotted the information she was presented down. Tsunade's eyes widened after a few minutes of probing and she spoke in shock. "It has even passed the pia mater(2)!"

"But that would mean-!"

Sasuke was too far gone in the depths of his mind to focus on the words spoken around him as they continued to work on him. His main concern was the odd build up of pressure in his brain. The throbbing of his headache was returning but it reverberated through his whole head and ran down his spine.

"Tsunade-sama!" One of the medical ninjas sitting at the points of the square addressed, yelling over the whoosh of chakra rushing through the room. "Feel in the sulci(3) of the brain, the seal has embedded itself that far!"

"This is worse than we feared…" Tsunade murmured to herself, sweat dripping down her brow as she focused on keeping the group together. "Kumadori, do a scan of the neurons in the surrounding areas, I want a detailed search, Oyone assist!"

"The neurons are intact but it seems that seal has embedded down to the molecular level. The seal is causing the neurons to send signals to release neurotransmitters without the body saying otherwise."

"How do you know this Kumadori?"Tsunade's brown were drawn in concern.

"Because there are still residues of dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline within the synaptic gaps that are recent and in excessive amounts, not normal for a normal, healthy brain. The trigger seems to be any sensory input pertaining to Hyuuga Hinata." Oyone nodded and agreed.

"The seal is too advanced; whoever did this knows how to imbed a seal well."

"Kabuto should know he had one imbedded in him for years!" Tsunade barked angrily, frustrated at the news she was hearing. "Is there any way we can try an extraction right now? Are you up to it?"

The medical staff nodded. "Okay first try a standard level one extraction."

The green glowing around Sasuke's limp body flickered out for a moment before returning brighter than before. The pressure was beginning to build in his head and it ran down the length of his spine, as if he would burst into pieces. What was this feeling? It was so different than before, as if he we were being eaten at from the inside…

And then the pain struck him so hard his eyes snapped open and bright lights flashed behind his eyes. Sasuke screamed as his body convulsed, his back leaving the ground as he arched involuntarily, as if to move away from the source of the pain. He desperately tried to pull away from the medical seal but he couldn't move his body, he was already too far under.

"Stop!" Tsunade yelled as Sasuke cried out in the center of the room. The medical nin relented and Sasuke was reduced to a heaving form, gasping for air in huge gulps.

"Level one extraction seems unreliable Tsunade-sama." Oyone stated and was instantly rebuked.

"Thank you, I didn't just see the proof for myself!" Tsunade spat. Oyone's lips moved into a thin line.

"Tsunade-sama I fear trying any more extractions will result in the loss of the patient. The effects of the extraction, just level one alone were extremely negative; the seal was designed to not be removed else the subject die along with the seal."

"Okay stop the diagnostics now, our primary concern is Sasuke." Tsunade broke the ties of the chakra and rushed towards Sasuke, kneeling down behind him to check his pulse. He had slipped into unconsciousness. "Take him to a bed and let him rest."

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke gasped and sat up quickly as he awoke, sending the sheets into a frenzy. Glancing around and noticing the bright, bright white of his surroundings and the monotonous beeping of medical equipment Sasuke realized he was in a hospital bed.

In his dazed confusion, the door slid open and Tsunade entered the room, a frown on her face.

Eyes lighting at the dark haired Uchiha's alertness, Tsunade gave a small smile. "How are you holding up Sasuke?"

Sasuke swallowed the dry feeling in his throat though it took some effort. "I've been better."

Tsunade grinned and pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat gracefully. "Well, I have some news for you." Sasuke's brow raised in question.

"First of all I'd like to apologize for your bout of illness it was my frustration at the situation that made me too ambitious for your body to handle." Sasuke shrugged and rubbed his shoulders to alleviate some of the pain. Eyes softening, Tsunade moved to twist a knob on the IV and release more drugs. "That should help with any extra soreness for the moment."

"Hn."

Sighing at her lack of answer, Tsunade set about business. "It seems the seal is embedded further than we thought. The seal looks like it's on the surface alone but it's actually imbedded within the neuron fibers of your brain, from what we could see it is pretty extensive." Sasuke's face darkened at the information. "The seal seems to have affected the action potential(4) of the neuron, causing the neurons to release specific neurotransmitters that are related to…pleasure." Sasuke's nose crinkled at the last word.

"However since the seal is not only affecting you in the cellular level, it has also imbedded itself in your limbic system which can control such processes such as pleasure and need like hunger or thirst. There are patients we have seen who have an overactive hypothalamus and as such overeat to a debilitating point which we can stem off through surge-"

"Then perform the surgery." Sasuke deadpanned, his eyes slightly condescending about the fact that they hadn't already done it if it was possible.

"We can't. The hypothalamus in the limbic system specifically controls various needs and desires but it also holds your most important like hunger and thirst. Your pleasure stems from multiple outlets in the brain not just there, to even begin looking let alone randomly scraping _living_ _tissue_ there is absolutely dangero-"

"I don't care just _get it out of me_." The Uchiha whispered the last part seething, his dark eyes boring holes into the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed again and blew a stray hair out of her face. "We've come up with a treatment but it has never been performed before." She glanced at Sasuke to gauge his interest but she saw nothing. "Ultimately what we'll be doing is a reverse seal, since there are traps set within the seal to take your life if it is removed, we will have to go in and find and seal each of the traps. Once this is done the process of removing the seal will become much easier."

"Then do it."

"Not so fast." Tsunade wagged her finger admonishingly. "We will have to do a lot of individual separation with the imbedding because it is at the cellular level. It will be dangerous but it is possible to remove the seal slowly in increments from the brain."

Sasuke blinked once. "By slowly you mean…a week?"

Tsunade smirked and shook her head. "Try at least four months." It took all of Sasuke's willpower to not let his jaw go slack at her words. Four months of this torture?

"Luckily you've said you feel no symptoms ever since you were in the cell, so it may mean that those symptoms were an initial reaction to the seal and it is meant for something more specific at a yet to be determined time." Sasuke highly doubted that.

Kabuto had said specifically he would be tied down by his need, that he would be considered helpless to his own being. What could be worse than what had already happened? Sasuke's eyes widened as he focused on what Tsunade said.

She was right the symptoms had disappeared ever since he went to the Hyuuga's apartment – though he couldn't tell Tsunade that- so maybe this was a onetime thing. Kabuto was probably banking on the person being lusted after totally denying him which would lengthen the time the seals affects would last. However since the Hyuuga had given him what he needed, he was quite possibly cured!

Sasuke nodded in answer to Tsunade's statement, a smirk slipping across his handsome face as he realized his achievement. Kabuto's plan had been a total bust though the repercussions were still pending….

"That's great news, if that's the case; we can release you today and set up an appointment for your first treatment next week same time, sound good?" Sasuke stood slowly, testing each foot for proper balance before ripping the IV out of his arm. "Hey!" Tsunade called out in indignation.

"Next week same time." Sasuke repeated and left the room.

OoOoOoOoO

Another strike shoved her back a few feet and Hinata spat blood out of her mouth, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Hinata-sama you aren't focusing." Neji's usually cold eyes were softened in concern for the petite heiress.

"A-Again." She ignored his words and lowered herself into a fighting stance once again, reviewing a kata in her head ready to utilize it. Sighing, Neji rolled his shoulders as he moved back into position.

He struck out with his flat palm, forcing Hinata to dodge as he continued to thrust, not relenting in the least. Sweat dripped from both of their brows and the veins around their eyes were engorged, showing off the pride of the Hyuuga.

Neji swept his leg around as he pushed forward with his right hand, leaving his left side vulnerable. His eyes caught Hinata's right as she was about to use his weakness and he covered it smoothly, turning so his back was facing her as he continued through the twelfth kata, mind sharp and focused.

Not focused enough it seemed as a simple hook of her leg caught him and he lost his balance long enough for Hinata to hold a bladed hand directly at his neck; if she was using her chakra it would be a fatal shot.

"Hit." Hinata murmured blandly, a teasing smile on her face. Neji smirked and rolled his steely eyes as Hinata helped him up to his feet.

"Well placed though it was technically cheating." Neji brushed off the dirt and grime of their training from his clothes.

"You didn't set rules this time." Hinata smiled as she handed him a steaming cup of green tea, brewed by the servants.

"Ah, remind me to do that next time." Neji replied good naturedly.

Hinata giggled and shook her head as they took a seat on the deck beside the training area. "If I did I would never land a win."

Neji raised a brow in amusement, his mouth hiding behind his cup. "I'll take that as a compliment."

They fell into a peaceful silence after that, quietly listening to the wind rustling the ancient willow and Sakura trees of the compound. Hinata sighed and stared at the leaves as they moved; desperately wishing she could just put down roots and become a graceful tree herself.

She was doing everything she could in order to stop thinking about that fateful night.

It hadn't even been a full day since it had happened and it was all she could do to not curse herself for the rest of her life. She hadn't been prepared to make such a decision; she didn't know what she was getting herself into. And things like this sadly did not have a reset button. Why did she get so overzealous just because the thoughts of her precious Naruto doing the same entered her mind? How did bedding the Uchiha translate into helping Naruto ease his pain?

It didn't!

_Stupid girl._ Her mind admonished for the thousandth time.

Naruto was her love, the one she should have been doing such things with –if he would ever answer her love confession from two years prior which he was going to, she knew it!- but she had done it with the Uchiha to save the jinchuuriki the pain of losing his friend again. This time through insanity.

As soon as she had left her apartment -unable to deal with the thoughts and actions left in the room- Hinata had gone to the pharmacy and bought morning after pills (she used a henge to mask her true identity of course) which she downed in the alleyway shamefully, like a criminal.

Then she made her way over to the Hyuuga compound and asked Neji to train with her, which she turned into a match just so she could vent her frustrations. Battling someone stronger than her was relaxing, the hits she got were like she was being punished for her mistake, it was oddly energizing.

Maybe she was becoming a masochist?

A deep voice pulled her from her reverie. "I saw the match, well done Hinata." Hinata turned and bowed respectfully towards her father.

"Thank you Otou-sama." She raised her head and smiled at her father, whose eyes rather than face answered just as adoringly. He turned his attention to Neji. "You would do well to learn a lesson from this match Neji; there are no rules when it comes to a real battle." Neji frowned and rolled his eyes at Hinata again.

"You would think however, Hiashi-sama, that someone such as Hinata would follow such mannerisms during matches such as etiquette." He gave Hinata a pointed glare which she only smiled at.

"A fool's mistake." Hiashi's lips tilted up in a small smile. "A word of advice or rather caution: Never expect 'etiquette' as you so righteously put it, from a cornered woman." Hinata giggled and nodded her agreement as Neji huffed.

"I will not make such a mistake again Hiashi-sama."

"Then we can all sleep peacefully tonight." The elder Hyuuga retorted sarcastically as he swept past the two teens though his face didn't change nor the inflection of his tone. "Well then, I will see you two at dinner."

As soon as her father was out of hearing range, Hinata burst into laughter. "Is it…wrong to say that I'm still surprised at his humor?" Hinata gasped through her giggles. Neji smirked and poked her forehead affectionately.

"Is it wrong to say you should visit us more often?" Hinata instantly quieted though her eyes still held some amusement.

"I-I visit…" Hinata started.

"Once every month, sometimes two!" Neji shushed the indigo haired woman with a gentle glare. "You have to admit the only times you come are when we insist or something is bothering you." He placed a hand on her knee in comfort. "What is wrong?"

Hinata's eyes lost their light and she shifted her view to the trees again. "Nothing is wrong Neji-niisan." She put on a brave smile and turned back to him. "Just missed you is all!"

"Don't." Neji deadpanned. Hinata's smile faltered and fell flat. Sighing, Neji ran his hands through his loose locks, his hair tie not faring well during their fight. "You should at least talk to someone about what's bothering you, is it Naruto again?"

Hinata's face dusted with red and Neji couldn't help the small smirk at his little cousin's innocence. "Neji-niisan! It doesn't have anything to do w-with Naruto-kun…." _Lies…_

Neji leaned back on his hands and tiled his face in question, his eyes darkening significantly. "Is it about the Uchiha?" his voice grew deeper as well.

Hinata stiffened and she looked away from her cousin's probing eyes, unable to face him directly. Would he know all her secrets? What she had done? She had always been an open book….

He would kill Sasuke _and_ her if he found out what had transpired between them.

"Ah, seems like I've hit it on the nail." Hinata's eyes darted to him where he held a triumphant grin.

Hinata's nose crinkled in annoyance. "Or on the 'screw'…" Hinata mumbled an insult to his namesake.

"What did you say?" Neji asked, knowing full well what she had said.

Hinata smiled and shook her head. "Nothing Neji-niisan." She stood and placed the empty tea cup on its tray. "I'm going to do some gardening for a bit, I'll see you during dinner!" Waving behind her as she ran, Hinata bid goodbye to her cousin. Neji just watched her knowingly.

After arriving at her small herb garden, Hinata spent the next hour tidying the planting beds, taking extra care to preen each plant and remove the dead leaves and to harvest any plants that were ready to use.

She desperately wanted to stop thinking in general, to no longer have emotions. However keeping herself busy with action such as gardening only allowed her mind to stagnate. She needed companionship so she could put her wandering mind to use in conversation.

Just as she was about to start watering the plants a familiar voice and bark gained her attention. "Oi, Hinata-chan!" Hinata turned to the voice with a look of relief, a smile tugging at her lips a soon as she watched the dog boy run towards her, waving exuberantly. Shino followed the boy and his dog at a slower pace, his mouth hidden behind his high collar.

"Kiba-kun! Shino-kun!" Hinata stood and brushed the dirt off of her before a big fluffy mass glomped her. "Akamaru!" Hinata giggled as she fell over and was given a tongue bath by the huge white dog.

"Akamaru!" Kiba admonished and tugged on his tail to release Hinata from her loving torture. The dog whined and moved to sit beside the dark haired girl.

"Kiba you should really learn how to manage your dog." Shino murmured in passing, amusement in his tone.

Hinata smiled, truly happy at the surprise. "How did you know to find me here?"

Kiba and Shino each took a seat beside Hinata and began to help her with her garden. The three of them had often done so when they were growing up but ever since she had moved out of the compound, the time they spent there were far and few in between missions and such. "We tried your house but you weren't home, so this would be the only logical place at this time of day." Kiba grinned and rubbed his nose in embarrassment; he had just admitted they had been looking for her for a while.

Hinata met the eyes of both of them as they helped her weed the herb patch and smiled serenely. "Thank you for coming to see me…you don't know how much I needed it t-today." She sighed sullenly into the dirt at the truth of it.

"What is wrong Hinata?" Shino asked quietly, his hand moving to her shoulder. Hinata started and blushed madly as she realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry Shino-kun! I….just have a-a lot on my mind…"

"Does it have to do with when you came back from your mission?" Hinata's eyes widened at Shino's words. She truly was like an open book!

Kiba voiced his opinion as well, his hands delved into Akamaru's white fur. "Yeah I gotta admit if I were you, I would definitely be shaken up after that ordeal." He shuddered as if to prove the fact.

Shino turned and glared at Kiba –it seemed like a glare but they couldn't be sure with his shades on- before turning back to Hinata to explain. "What I mean to say is, after experiencing the actions Sasuke was displaying to you, and for someone as innocent as you, it seems to have truly left a mark. It could be the only thing." Shino's brows knotted and he retracted his statement. "Unless…your sadness is due to Naruto-kun…?"

Hinata's eyes widened and her blush ran down her neck. "W-why does everyone think its a-about Naruto-kun?" She covered her cheeks with her hands and shook her head vehemently. "It has nothing to do with him!" Realizing her actions – which were quite odd to the two teen boys before her as seen by their odd looks- Hinata turned away from them and dug her fingers into the mulch of her garden, embarrassment her foremost feeling. Suddenly Kiba burst out into laughter and Shino chuckled in his deep baritone and Hinata turned around indignant.

Before she could defend her case, two pairs of arms wrapped around her and strong fluffy warmth encompassed her back. Blinking oddly once, then twice, Hinata finally realized what was going on.

She snuggled closer into her team's embrace, her heart finally feeling at peace. These boys never failed to put a smile on her face and warmth in her soul. They were the only ones who took her as she was – excluding Kurenai- and sincerely helped her become a better shinobi and a better person. They always helped encourage her when she needed it most and never gave up on her.

It would be so easy to tell them.

To just say she had sex with Uchiha Sasuke.

She would explain it to them as she had to herself: She didn't want Naruto-kun to go through the torture of having his friend in pain or to lose said friend to insanity. She was the only one who could stop it. It was something she knew Naruto-kun would do for others and that was why she did it for him.

It was simple, she loved him.

However the thought quickly died as the hypocrisy of the statement hit her full force.

They would be terribly angry with her. They would question her sanity and her drive.

They would ask her if she was trying to run away from all they had helped her achieve -which hadn't even been on her mind when she made her decision.

It was simple; it would hurt to tell the truth.

Taking a shaky breath, Hinata put on a bright smile and turned to her friends who were still holding her close, a blush staining her cheeks. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke groaned as Tsunade released him from her hold, rubbing his throbbing head where her healing hands (more like torturing hands) rested only seconds earlier. Tsunade gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder as he pressed his head against his knees and took deep breaths. Every time he opened his eyes white dots marred his vision.

"Go to the bathroom and wash your face, it may help." At the mention of bathroom, Sasuke all but ran to the door and without even taking the time to close the door he released his lunch into the porcelain bowl. Tsunade winced at the noise but focused on putting up all of her medicine practicing equipment. "It seems the binding of the seal causes intense reactions in and of itself; you lasted longer than most shinobi so you should be proud."

Sasuke teetered in the doorway, one hand on his mouth and the other wrapped around his stomach. "So proud." He mumbled sarcastically and Tsunade snorted at the comment.

She moved to his side and tried to help him back to the chair he had been seated at earlier but he shrugged off her hands and straightened to his full height as he walked to the seat on his own. Tsunade sighed and rolled her eyes at his actions. He really was prideful.

Sasuke slumped into the seat and Tsunade held a bottle of pills in front of his face. "Take these for the pain but take them sparingly, they have their own side effects." Sasuke grabbed the bottle and dry swallowed two to Tsunade's anger.

"I have to go through this every week?" Sasuke asked curiously, his strength already returning.

Tsunade gave him a sympathetic look as she shifted through papers on her desk. "Sadly, yes. And this wasn't even the real sealing yet, I sealed only one of the traps we had found earlier." Sasuke sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"That's wonderful." Tsunade laughed.

"Stay here as long as you need, I'd rather you get your strength back before you leave." Sasuke shrugged and stared out of the window, tired of the conversation.

A rap at the door broke Sasuke's reverie as Shizune entered, bowing respectfully. "Tsunade-sama, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Sai are here as you had requested."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. "What? But I called for Neji and Choji as well, why haven't they come too?"

Shizune's cheek twitched and she looked to the side awkwardly, slightly afraid of rebuttal. "You…assigned Neji to a mission already and Choji is-"

"-Sick, Tsunade-sama." Shikamaru answered for Shizune as he entered the room, hands behind his head in a relaxed position. "His father said he came down with a stomach ache, it's probably nothing but indigestion but he's indisposed at the moment."

Tsunade's mouth formed a thin line in disappointment. "Where are the others?"

"Waiting for Shizune to tell them to come up." Shikamaru shrugged with a smirk at Tsunade's raised brow in amusement. "Being an advisor to the Hokage has its perks." Shikamaru turned and nodded a greeting to Sasuke who awkwardly answered it with one of his own; he was not in a position to be jostling his head just yet.

Tsunade turned to Sasuke as well. "Sasuke would you excuse us for a moment? Just sit outside; I'll be with you as soon as I'm done."

"Whatever." Sasuke said blandly at the brush off and proceeded to carefully exit the room. Once the door closed, Tsunade turned back to Shikamaru.

"So what are we going to do without Choji and Neji? I'm short on shinobi right now." Shikamaru shrugged and gave a sidelong glance at the door in which the Uchiha had left.

"What's wrong with using Sasuke to stand in for Choji? He has the strength to be more than enough cover." Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I hesitate to use him as he's currently 'indisposed' himself." Shikamaru's expression asked for elaboration. Tsunade leaned forward. "Sasuke met Kabuto on his last mission and the snake placed a seal on Sasuke causing him to lust after Hyuuga Hinata." Shikamaru's face was priceless.

"Well that's one way to exact revenge…though I wouldn't use it myself. Why Hinata though?" Tsunade chuckled but quickly sobered up.

"She was just unlucky, happened to be the first person Sasuke saw after the seal had been set." Shikamaru nodded, it made sense.

"That's unlucky for us as well because Hinata is the only other sensory ninja in Konoha right now that we can use for this mission…" Shikamaru drawled, peering at Tsunade as he tilted his head back.

"Hmmm." Tsunade looked lost in thought as she stared at her desk as if it would give her the answers she needed. "Well I've just done a first attempt at treatment today and it didn't go particularly well…"

Shikamaru nodded. "A bugger like Kabuto? Sasuke sure knows who to make enemies with."

Tsunade nodded noncommittally, still focused on the grains within the wood of the desk. "However…" She looked up at Shikamaru, a new light in her eyes. "Sasuke did say that after a trial period he no longer had the effects of lust towards Hinata anymore…it has been a week and we've had no problems thus far."

"Do you think the seal is faulty?"

"No, not with someone as skilled as Kabuto." Tsunade shook her head. "I've been thinking the reason Kabuto put a seal on Sasuke on the first place, and one that seeming lost its affects in less than thirty-six hours after being placed would be because he was banking on it getting Sasuke in trouble with us. If he looked guilty he would be in enough trouble with Konoha especially for attempted rape to the point where he could even be in line for execution, especially with his history."

Shikamaru rubbed his chin as he pondered the thought. "It could make sense…however what would Kabuto gain from it? Wouldn't he want to exact revenge himself?"

"I'm not in a position to question his judgment." Tsunade smirked. "I'll only take advantage of his mistake in this case, especially because I'm low on fighting power. I will place both Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke on this mission." Shikamaru nodded, knowing he couldn't change the Hokage's mind at this point, her statement had been true; Konoha didn't have enough man power to be picky with their line ups. "However Shikamaru, please keep an eye out on the situation, I trust you can handle it if things get too far. Naruto will be there to assist if it comes to a scuffle as well." Shikamaru nodded again.

"I will follow my orders Hokage-sama." Tsunade smiled and stood.

"Then if you can tell Shizune to call for Hyuuga Hinata?" Bowing, Shikamaru turned to leave the room.

Sighing, Tsunade went outside to call back the Uchiha. "Sasuke, I'm going to be putting you on a mission, do you think you can handle it?" She asked as they walked back into her office.

"Hn." Sasuke rolled his shoulders as if to prove he was still capable. Tsunade smirked but still held concern in her eyes.

"I will need to warn you, the lineup is not what you would expect so soon…" Sasuke nodded.

"It's fine." Tsunade smiled grimly and looked to the door as the others entered.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto whined as he entered the room. "Why is it that Shikamaru gets to come in here whenever he wants but I can't?"

Tsunade sighed and reached for her bottle of Sake under her desk before remembering she was doing work. "Naruto he's part of my advising group, you are only Hokage-in-training."

Naruto scoffed, insulted. "But I think Hokage-in-training means more that a stupid 'advisor'!"

"Then you have much to learn." Tsunade rebuked, getting frustrated. "Now shut up and listen, we have a very important mission this time."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" They all stood in attention, waiting for their debriefing.

"As you know, the chunnin exams are to be held in three days. You will be bridled with the task of taking our contestants for this year to Suna where the exam will be held." She turned to each in turn.

"Shikamaru is going as headproctor and Ino is going as medic for both the mission and the exam." Tsunade turned to Naruto. "Naruto you'll be going in my stead in order to start your alliances training and to slowly transition my power over to you." She paused for a moment before glaring. "_Do not make a fool of yourself_."

"H-hai…" Naruto mumbled, taking a small step back at the intimidating stare.

Rolling her eyes, she continued on through the ranks. "Sai, you will be one of the ANBU proctors and will be fighting the contestants in Suna's version of the 'Forest of Death'."

"Hai Tsunade-sama." Sai bowed respectfully.

"Sasuke. You will be back up during the mission; your primary concern is to get everyone to Suna safely."

"Whatever." Sasuke replied, his arms crossed over his chest. His head was throbbing and he felt oddly dizzy from the treatment session earlier.

The door opened just then and everyone turned to the new arrival. "Tsunade-sama, Hyuuga Hinata is here."

Sasuke's eyes widened and instantly snapped towards Tsunade who just glanced at him with watchful eyes. His eyes narrowed sharply and he looked away from her in anger.

She was using this as a test just as much as she really needed him on this mission.

When Hinata stepped into the room however it was like everything stood still. Nothing else mattered, no one else was there.

Just Hyuuga Hinata.

She seemed to notice his sharp gaze because her eyes singled him out and took him in with wide, fearful eyes. A blush infused her cheeks as she faltered back a few steps, her heart pounding. Sasuke was drinking in every aspect of her as she stood before her, unable to pull his eyes away from her. Her lush pink lips were slightly parted, her eyes the usual opal with flecks of silver, her hair framed her delicate heart shaped face and her Hitai-ate hid the love bite he knew would still be lingering on her skin even a week later. He now knew why his headache had returned.

She realized the look in his eyes just as he had reached his own realization; even if he wasn't physically trying to get to her the hungry gaze held it all.

It definitely wasn't a onetime thing; the seal was alive and still doing what it was meant to do.

Bring the demise of Uchiha Sasuke.

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke seemed to have passed the test because the group was presently heading down to pick up the genin that would be in their charge during the mission.

Tsunade had warned them that shinobi from the other hidden villages would probably attack the group in an effort to monopolize the exams by eliminating the competition and Tsunade had gained Intel that they would be targeted by the Amegakure though she did not specify from where.

She had also recommended engaging the shinobi if they were to attack first in order to send warning to the other nations which Sasuke was more than happy to follow after the sudden turn of events.

Even now as he walked in the front of the group beside Naruto, his body wanted nothing more than to stop, grab the Hyuuga and ravage her like mad. All of the sudden all of his memories of that night bombarded him and it was all he could do to not moan out in anticipation of the pressure of her soft body against him once again.

It wasn't right he warned himself and shook his head angrily, trying to keep the thoughts of her naked form from his mind. If he had to be honest though, it was hard to imagine her any other way once he knew what she hid under those baggy clothes.

Luckily Hinata hadn't told anyone of what had transpired between them, which he had figured would happen because she had allowed their…interaction (if that's what he could call it) of her own volition. This was proven by the fact that he was still living, breathing and able to walk.

As soon as they had left the Hokage tower Ino pounced on him, fluttering her eyes and pressing her breasts against his arm which she had held in a death grip between manicured fingers. He had shrugged her off and pulled ahead to where he currently was, smirking when Sai commented on his brush off bluntly, rubbing salt in the wound.

But Sasuke was in awe at the fact that even when Ino was trying to flirt with him, his mind was in turmoil, the symptoms resuming their grip on his mental health and thoughts of pushing the Hyuuga to the ground and ripping her clothes off running through his head.

However the pain was bearable and he was in control of his body even if he wasn't in control of his urges. _It could be now that I've already given in once; the symptoms are milder and just focused on getting her again._ As long as he could manage on this mission he should be fine; he could avoid her later.

A quick glance back at the girl of his current desires and the thought wasn't as easy to sustain. He felt bad, she was positively scared of him and he had done nothing to settle her even though in all honesty he should; she was literally a woman he had a one night stand with and then thoroughly ignored which he had to admit wasn't fair to her when she helped him through the excruciating pain he had been going through. Maybe he should apologize?

But how could he when she wouldn't even look his way? She would never let him get close enough to utter the words and that was under the impression his pride would allow it which he doubted greatly.

And then there was the fact that as soon as he got a hold of her, the only thing he could think of doing to her was what he had done one week ago.

"Naruto-niichan!" Three voices simultaneously yelled and Sasuke was surprised to see a small group of kids around fourteen running towards them, specifically the blonde Dobe.

"Konohamaru! Moegi! Udon!" Naruto yelled in return, a huge grin on his face as he waved excitedly.

The three kids skid to a stop before them. "Konohamaru-chan show him your jutsu!" Moegi cheered excitedly.

"Ne, ne Konohamaru-chan show him!" Udon reiterated just as excited.

Konohamaru grinned at his teammates and turned to Naruto, holding out a thumbs up as he winked. "Naruto-niichan after extensive research," The boy gave a furtive glance at Sasuke who answered it with one of mild curiosity. "I am proud to present my new and improved _Oiroke: Otokonoko Dōshi no Jutsu(5)!"_

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to Sasuke in shock, fear clouding his usually joyous expression. "Konohamaru not now don-"

"_Bushin no Jutsu_!" The younger boy yelled, paying no heed to Naruto in his determination to defeat his master. Knowing he would be pounded into the ground anyways, Naruto rushed to conjure up his own clones.

"I combat you with my new and improved _Oiroke: Onnanoko Dōshi no Jutsu(6) _Naruto style!"

The two were at a standoff with a clone each, glaring into each others eyes.

"_Oiroke: Onnanoko Dōshi no Jutsu!" _The twoNarutos burst into smoke, only to be replaced with the naked figures of Sakura and Ino in a very compromising position, the clouds of smoke the only thing keeping their modesty.

"_Oiroke: Otokonoko Dōshi no Jutsu!"_ This time the Konohamarus were replaced with the figures of Sasuke and Sai, Sasuke leaning over the other boy as he was caressed gently by his….would be partner. There was no room for imagination as the figures looked longingly into each other's eyes.

Sasuke could not believe what he was seeing. So this is why the boy had given him a glance….the research was well done it seemed as all of his anatomy were pretty much on par; well from what could be seen. However the Uchiha did not appreciate the position he had been put into, especially one depicting him with a guy.

A squeal was heard behind him and Sasuke turned to see Hinata covering her eyes in embarrassment while Ino positively raged in her spot, eyes burning with a fire only a woman with the namesake of 'boar' could possess. Shikamaru had been smirking but at the point of Sasuke and Sai coming into the picture, he burst out laughing, clutching his stomach at the raunchy humor.

Sai however stared blankly, a confused smile on his face as he pointed at the two boys touching each other inappropriately. "Oh, it's me and Sasuke-kun again."

Again?

The compromised figures vanished in an instant, leaving two boys with growing bumps on each of their heads.

"Ouch!"

"Hey!"

Sasuke grabbed the two boys and pulled them by their collars close to his face, bitter and angry. "_What the hell are you teaching these kids you sick, perverse man._" Sasuke all but growled, his Sharingan rotating dangerously.

"S-Sasuke I swear I didn't tell him to do that! I even told him I don't like looking at that stuff, right Konohamaru?"

"Yes! Yes! It was all me, Naruto-niichan hates it when I do that!" Sasuke knew he couldn't pound the two into the ground so he threw them in the dirt, his eyes glowing as his head blocked out the light from the two boys' view.

"If I ever see that again I will rip your throats out and feed you to the crows." And with that Sasuke turned on his heels and marched to the other kids who were watching the whole exchange with blushes on their faces.

"Naruto I can't believe you would actually use me and Sakura!" Ino yelled livid as she bopped the blonde on the head in her own revenge. "I will be telling Sakura all about this, believe me when I say that!" However she couldn't hide her own nose bleed when it came to Sasuke and Sai.

"No! I-Ino-chan please don't she'll kill me…!"

Ino turned and stomped her foot indignantly, her hands on her hips. "Well then that's what you get!" She stuck her tongue out at him and turned to run after Sasuke, Shikamaru following at a slow walk behind her.

"Nice one Naruto, way to get yourself in trouble." Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"You know, I think the reason Naruto-kun participates in these perverse acts is because he feels incompetent. Because he has no balls." The serene smile contradicted the pale boy's statement as Sai and a meek Hinata followed the group to the contestants. Hinata stopped to help Naruto up but was pushed aside as Naruto defended himself.

"What? Why do you always go around saying that to people Sai?" Naruto yelled as he rushed the boy.

Hinata stood there, shocked at the outburst.

"Hinata-oneechan!" The voice broke her initial shock and her eyes sought the owner of the voice who smiled at her from the group. A smile brightened her face and helped her forget the events from moments earlier as Hinata jogged to the other girl's side, suddenly getting knocked back from her sister's momentum.

"Hanabi-chan!" Hinata returned the hug amicably, glad to see her sister. She moved away enough so she could look down at her sister and grinned as she saw the fighting spirit in her sister's eyes. She did not hold concern for Hanabi, only the people who would be fighting her. "I will be escorting you to the chunnin exams."

"This is the first time we've gone on a mission together, even if you're only supposed to protect me." Hanabi smiled in return.

Shikamaru interrupted their reunion. "Oi, everyone! Don't make me yell over you, it's troublesome." The group quieted down long enough for Shikamaru to address key points and to start them on their journey.

"I'm glad I get to see you before I take my exam." Hanabi murmured and was returned by the squeeze of her hand.

OoOoOoOoO

Hinata watched the back of her baby sister as she walked ahead with her teammates. The contestants this year had rounded up to roughly eleven genin, a small number when considering past entries from Konoha but a relatively strong bunch, especially if Hanabi was there Hinata thought with pride.

Her relationship with her sister and her family had taken a fairly good turn ever since she tried to fend off Pein herself in an effort to save Naruto. The Hyuuga were finally able to see her for all that she was, and all the heart and courage she had to offer. She had been reinstated as Heiress and her father and sister welcomed her back with open arms along with most of the Hyuuga.

But after what she had done she threatened the very balance she worked so hard to achieve.

And she truly didn't know what to do about Sasuke who every once in a while she caught staring diligently at her.

She was extremely uncomfortable, her heart racing faster than it ever had before and she was truly afraid he would attack her at any moment and put her in as compromising a position as Konohamaru and Naruto displayed at leisure earlier.

To an outsider it would look like they were strangers who didn't know each other nor care to associate but the looks he was giving her proved the fact; he still lusted after her. The seal was still acting up.

Hinata took to sticking to the middle of the group, allowing Sasuke to watch her but not to engage in conversation like she knew he wanted to. She knew what would happen if she were to allow that.

There was only one reason he would talk to her and it involved touching her inappropriately and in ways that made her skin tingle…What was she thinking?

Instead she let Ino dominate the already one-sided conversation in an effort to seem too preoccupied to be concerned with the dark-haired boy. It was a futile effort but warranted nonetheless or she would never be able to walk so calmly only feet away from the man who had lay in her bed with her (no man had had that honor until him). It was sincerely embarrassing to know that he had seen her naked and touched her in ways no other person had, even more so to have seen him naked and to have touched him in just the same way.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as the presence he had noticed an hour earlier moved in, getting ready to attack. Glaring, he moved to one of the chunnin contestants, holding a hand out as he voiced nonchalantly. "Hey kid, got a kunai?" Blushing, the girl –Moegi- nodded jerkily and handed over the instrument of death; he couldn't be bothered with using one of his own. "Thanks." He smirked and spun it on his finger before catching it mid spin and throwing it into the dense foliage about twenty feet outside their outer formation.

A water clone fell and splashed against the ground like a water balloon.

"Shit." Shikamaru muttered in annoyance, calling for the group to move closer. "Genin stay together and stay down, do not try to be a hero you hear me?"

"You'll only get in the way." Sasuke added to which Shikamaru glared.

"He's right, don't do anything irrational." Shikamaru turned towards Sai and Hinata. "You two stay here and protect the genin, Hinata use your Byakugan to scout how many enemy nin are there and keep us posted. Sai, use your art to surround the kids and fend off enemies." He then turned to the others. "You are my main force, make sure you get them all but don't kill the leader, we need him alive to take with us as proof to Suna, sadly Tsunade was right it is Amegakure."

"Alright a real battle!"

"We wanna fight too!"

"You guys wouldn't stand a chance against them." Sasuke deadpanned, his arms crossed as he glared at the overzealous children. "They are banking on you attacking so they can slit your throats easy."

"Sasuke-teme don't scare them!" Naruto growled, but was quieted with the same glare.

"Don't talk to me Usuratonkachi." Sasuke was still fuming from his escapade with Konohamaru.

"Okay we don't have time to argue now that we made the first move they will start attacking. Everyone move out and remember what I said." They all nodded and Shikamaru nodded in return. "So troublesome…"

Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked ahead, her sister doing the same beside her. "Shikamaru-kun! There are at least eighteen but I believe most of them are clones. Out of all of the enemy Nin I see four that are different."

"Okay, tell us where the real ones are." Shikamaru glanced back at the group and met eyes with Hinata who nodded. She would not let her personal life interfere with the genins' safety.

"They are hiding behind the clones; you'll have to get through them to get to the real ones." Shikamaru nodded at the news.

"I expected as much. The brunt of the clones will come after you because the ultimate goal is the contestants, can I count on you to handle them while we focus on getting the leader alive?"

Sai and Hinata nodded to each other and turned to Shikamaru. "We will do as you say Shikamaru-kun." Sai answered.

"I'll leave it up to you then."

Shikamaru motioned for the others to move forward, directing them to the key locations Hinata alerted them to.

And then they waited.

It didn't take long for the men to attack; senbon flew out towards them, Sasuke and Naruto barely dodging in time. Shikamaru grunted as he was struck in the collar bone, a flesh wound but still painful.

"Shika-kun are you okay?" Ino whispered in concern, watching as he pulled the offending piece of metal out of his skin.

"Fine." Shikamaru winced and shoved Ino out of the way just in time as a clone cleaved the air with a kunai exactly where they had been crouched. The clone turned to him and smirked around his breathing apparatus before moving to attack Ino.

He had seen this man before.

Before Ino could become diced, Shikamaru yelled, "_Kage nui_!" His shadow expanded on its own, moving quickly to intercept the Ame shinobi. "Ino, move!" The blue eyed blonde gasped and turned away, still splayed on the ground before she was drenched in water, Shikamaru's jutsu ultimately overpowering the clone.

"Shikamaru!" Ino complained as she stood and tried to wring some of the water from her skirt.

"This isn't the time Ino, get to work!" Ino glared at him in return and jumped into action.

"Fine but you owe me a new outfit!"

Sasuke and Naruto were tag teaming even though Sasuke was extremely angry with the blonde. Naruto distracted the clones with his own while Sasuke snuck behind them and stabbed them out of existence with his Chokuto. The both of them were soaking wet which did nothing to help his hold on his sword.

Suddenly one of the clones grinned and held his hands in front of him as he yelled, "Katsu!"

Sasuke's limbs felt heavy, his body lethargic as he tried valiantly to swipe at the offending party with his Chokuto which now weighed three tons compared to before. Sasuke glanced at Naruto and noticed many of his clones poofing out of existence, his friend's movements just as slow.

Why did he feel so weak?

"Don't get wet!" Hinata's sweet voice filled the gap between them and Sasuke could feel hunger for her burning in his gut. Why didn't those feelings go away along with his senses and strength? "They drain chakra through the water!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he added, "It's like Ame's special rain, do whatever you can to stay dry!"

Sasuke and Naruto were being pushed back as their strength refused to return, their chakra quickly depleting. _I need to stop it…_

Going through the hand signs as fast as he could –which was sluggish in reality- Sasuke sucked in air, facing the sky as he released it. "_Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu_!" A huge fireball in the shape of a dragon exploded from his being, singeing both Naruto and Sasuke as it swiftly dispersed into the sky.

Effectively drying them both in the heat blast.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shirt and pulled him behind a rock formation, breathing hard. "Thanks….man. Could have sworn…I would die for a second…"

"Don't count yourself lucky." Sasuke bit out, too weak to hit the Dobe over the head though he tried. Not moments later Shikamaru and Ino followed, Ino looking the worse for wear.

Taking in the state of the two best friends, Shikamaru growled in frustration, admitting loss of the round. "They were ready for us; they have a very solid defense."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "But we got most of the clones, and all the rest are trying to get to the genin." Shikamaru gasped and turned to find Sai and Hinata easily fending off the clones, they had known in advance not to get soaked with the chakra infused water so they weren't as burnt out as the rest of them. Relieved, Shikamaru turned to the task at hand.

"We need to get to the leader, from what Hinata said, he is some twenty feet away, surrounded by his men. I recommend we cause a diversion and try to sweep him that way."

"If you are asking to catch him alive I will tell you right now whatever we do physically will only get him dead." Sasuke interrupted and Shikamaru gritted his teeth at the disobliging Uchiha.

Sighing again, Shikamaru closed his eyes, his fingers pressed together in front of his face in deep concentration. "Fine, give me a minute."

"Uh, you don't really have a minute Shikamaru-kun…" Ino answered, her eyes darting over the rocks and towards the three shinobi in loose cream colored garb and goggles. Her eyes lighted with recognition. "Hey do you remember the Amegakure contestants for the chunnin exams when we were genin?"

"Yeah, so what?" Shikamaru's tone held annoyance. Ino scoffed and hit his shoulder.

"Well these guys are them! I knew I recognized them from somewhere, but I couldn't remember where…" Naruto and Sasuke took a glance at the men as well.

"You're right Ino-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, just as surprised. "It must be the cycle, it's their turn to be the protectors of the future of their village as well." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, an odd expression on his face.

"If that is the case, it may explain why they knew how to break us." Sasuke added, eyes scanning the three men with his Sharingan. "It seems these men are the real ones this time. We should act now."

Shikamaru opened his eyes and nodded. "Okay I got a plan." The group huddled closer to listen. "Naruto I'm going to need you to run distraction, get the mens' focus on you." Shikamaru then turned to Ino and smirked before moving his eyes to Sasuke. "Sasuke, how familiar are you with the Ino-Shika-Cho formation?" He waggled a brow and a huge grin spread over Ino's face.

"So we're going to do it?" Ino asked excitedly, her hand gripping Shikamaru's forearm. Shikamaru nodded.

"Though it probably won't run as smoothly as when Choji's here, Sasuke should be a perfect stand in." Sasuke decided to interrupt.

"I've never seen your 'formation'."

Shikamaru smiled and picked up a stick. "Naruto, how about you start the distraction we were talking about?" Naruto grinned and nodded, rolling his shoulders in excitement.

"Will do!" And with that he bounded over the rock formation and charged the Amegakure shinobi.

Turning back to Sasuke, Shikamaru began his explanation. "The Ino-Shika-Cho formation is one used for generations by team ten's three clans. Someone from the Akimichi clan distracts and immobilizes the opponents." Shikamaru drew figures in the ground to explain. "Someone from the Nara clan binds the opponent that has been immobilized using the kage techniques, and the third team member from the Yamanaka clan will use the mind transfer jutsu in order to either gain Intel or capture the enemy for a longer period of time." Sasuke had to admit he was impressed with the detailed formation Shikamaru shared with him. No wonder team ten was used for live extraction missions.

"Okay, but what will I do?" Shikamaru smiled.

"You will be immobilizing the enemy so I can catch them in my jutsu and Ino can then subdue the leader. You'll also provide back up once Ino is in the leader's mind because her body will be prone to attacks, does it sound alright?"

"So all I have to do is get the leader still enough for you to trap him." Shikamaru nodded.

"Then leave the rest to us." They all agreed on the plan laid out and put it into action.

Sasuke watched as Naruto battled the three shinobi, holding his own easily now that his chakra wasn't being drained. Waiting until the opportune moment, Sasuke dashed out into the fray as soon as he saw an opening. Bounding past Naruto, he leapt over the offending shinobi and smirked as Naruto gave him a mock salute in luck before speeding towards to foliage directly behind Naruto's battle where the leader was sure to be hiding. Shikamaru and Ino followed at a more discreet pace.

Sasuke drew his Chokuto as he pushed through the trees and skid to a stop in front of a man in his mid thirties, a bandana with the Amegakure headband sewn into it. His hair was a fiery red and his facial hair black.

"How-" The man began but Sasuke did not let him finish as he pulled his Chokuto down, ready to swipe at his head. At the last minute he remember her was supposed to take the man alive and he pulled back, losing his balance slightly in the process.

He skid to a stop a few feet away, Chokuto held in warning before him. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked monotonously.

"I-I am Ryūsui!" The man exclaimed, his hands moving to protect himself.

"What alliances do you hold? It's obvious that you are not a part of Amegakure with that scratch through your headband." The man looked at Sasuke as if he were insulted.

"My alliance is with Amegakure! This," He pointed to his headband. "Shows my alliance to Pein-sama!"

"Pein is dead. Has been for more than two years." Sasuke stated blandly, enjoying the 'fish out of water' enactment Ryūsui was currently displaying_. _

"Pein-sama is only dead when his followers die!" The man yelled angrily. Sasuke rotated his blade as if getting ready to cleave something into pieces.

Glancing up at the man through his bangs, Sasuke allowed a smirk to grace his features. "Shall I help you see your precious leader once more?"

"What do-" The man's voice halted midway and he gasped, unable to say anymore though it looked as if he were making the effort.

"_Kagemane no Jutsu_, success." Shikamaru smirked as he walked into the field, Ryūsui answered by walking forward the same number of steps, their shadows intertwined.

Sasuke sighed and returned his Chokuto to its sheath. "I didn't even get to attack." He stated in disappointment and moved closer to the leader of the attack whose eyes widened in fear.

"It's best if you hold him also just in case his lackeys come so we can hold him hostage. We only have ten seconds until Ino starts her mind transfer jutsu so hurry!"

"Seems like the 'lackeys' are the actual shinobi." Sasuke grumbled under his breath as he reached for the Amegakure shinobi, ready to pin him down.

All of the sudden he heard Naruto scream "Watch out Sasuke he slipped through!" Before he was buffeted with a weight that knocked him off balance and a cream clad arm reached out and shoved Ryūsui out of Shikamaru's jutsu. When Sasuke opened his mouth to yell at Naruto for allowing the interference, the words died on his lips and his eyes widened in shock. He tried to lift his hands but he couldn't.

Moving his eyes to Shikamaru, the boy held the same position he did, the same shocked expression on his face. "Ino don't do the mind transfe-" Shikamaru started but it was too late.

"_Shintenshin no Jutsu_!" The feminine voice yelled.

"Shit! Naruto make sure they don't escape again!" Shikamaru yelled, releasing his jutsu and running to Ino's body. She lay where she had landed when she had vacated her body, unconscious(7).

"I'm on it man!" Naruto replied and moved to intercept the enemy shinobi trying to escape.

"Ino? Ino!" Shikamaru shook his partner but she was not bluffing, she was already gone.

Sasuke felt as if the breath got knocked out of him as an unknown force entered his being, coating him in a muffling cotton like haze. Every thought process felt as if he were swimming through tar, as if he was being pulled away from his self, his core and something was taking its place. He couldn't summon the thoughts to put a finger on it though so he allowed his mind to be submerged.

Ino entered the mind, already knowing the transfer was a failure; she had heard Shikamaru moments before she went under but it had been too late for her to cut off the jutsu.

She was in the mind of Uchiha Sasuke.

_Indigo hair pressed against his face as she moaned, her lips parted and eyes half lidded in lust as his hands moved up her sides in order to grip her full creamy mounds._

_I need to have her _now_._

The thoughts she met shocked her but she had gotten no rebuttal, no will power forcing her out so she continued her control, allowing it to last as long as possible as she forced herself further into his mind in order to control his faculties. _What is going on…?_

_Pearl eyes pleading with him to take her, take her _now_. More than happy to do so, he spread her legs easily as she mewled and…._

_What are you doing here? _The thought rammed itself against her hold and Ino gasped, trying to fight for control instinctually. Suddenly a Sharingan eye –a mental conjuring she reminded herself as she was inside his _head_- opened before her, stripping her being bare before the awe striking mental block that raised itself against her, blocking her from Sasuke's thoughts inexplicitly.

Ino gasped in real life as her mind was thrown back into her body, chest heaving as she tried to breathe, her eyes widen with equal parts fear and shock at what she had seen and experienced.

Dazed, she slowly sat up with the help of Shikamaru who questioned her relentlessly; she knew he was worried, she'd never experienced side effects this bad before in all of her years as an active shinobi.

Even as he stomach rebelled her, Ino moved to look at the dark haired man whose mind she had been accompanying just moments prior. His eyes met hers, Sharingan rotating slowly.

There was a murderous intent in those blood red eyes.

* * *

(1) dura mater- one of five meninges or membranes that protect the brain, this is the membrane you encounter first if you removed your skull.

(2) pia mater- one of the five meninges or membranes that protect the brain, this is the membrane closest to the spinal cord and brain.

(3) Sulci (singular: sulcus)- the little grooves in the brain that you see in between the bumpy things :) also called fissures.

(4) Action potential- is the impulse that runs down the axon of the neuron (the really long part of the 'lollipop' shaped cell) and tells the axon terminal (the end of the axon with tiny tendrils) to release the neurotransmitters also known as chemical messengers. This happens by a change of ions within the inside of the axon (potassium and sodium ions) that cause an electric impulse which is why the brain actually makes electricity!

(5) Quite literally Sexy: Boy on Boy technique.

(6) As you would expect, Sexy: Girl on Girl technique.

(7) Sasuke was accidentally pushed into Shikamaru's _Kagemane no Jutsu_ in the Amegakure leader's place when his partner rescued him which happened because Naruto accidentally let the shinobi he was battling slip through his defenses. Shikamaru tried to warn Ino to not do the mind transfer jutsu because it has its own risks if she doesn't get into the mind she needs to (it takes her a while to return to her normal body if she misses) which would make her a liability however it was too late, she already completed the jutsu and entered Sasuke's mind.

_So if you haven't noticed already I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible medical wise (I've officially decided to major in Neurobiology and Psychology so this shows it! ;) sorry if it's hard to understand! Review or PM me and I can explain further, hopefully I've put enough info for you to get the gist. I used all the medical terms because I assumed that medical Nin would actually use the scientific terms lmao. Both Oyone and Kumadori are actual medical nin from the Manga, Ryūsui is the shinobi Jiraya interrogated last before he died within the frog's stomach and the Amegakure shinobi were actually in the chunnin exams with Naruto and the others. I didn't make them up and I most probably never will for the exception of Ryouichi, Sasuke and Hinata's son in my other story :)_

_Oh and just a funny thing...In my language, 'Pein' means lice. Lmao. When I was typing this it just offhandly came to me and I laughed for like ten minutes straight as I wondered why I didn't make the connection during the Pein arc…it would have been hilarious to watch everyone call him lice haha. Sorry…it's the lack of sleep from classes and writing this….anyways…_

**Should I keep this story with all the action or do you mind more emotional settings as the story progresses with slight action here and there? Because this is ultimately an emotional story but I don't want to disappoint readers with a lack of action, that wasn't the point of the story it just ended up that way :/ If you want action, I need ideas for future missions so please give me some (future lemons are still needed too!) I need the input!**

_Please review and tell me what you think, it helps me set up how the next chapters are written depending on the feedback :) Until next time!_

_Trinity Effect_


	7. Chapter 7

_Yay Happy Birthday Sasuke! And for all of us, a little chapter-cake :) Lemon in this chapter (my gift to the non-existent anime character *Sweat drops*), so link will be posted in my profile as usual. Once again, happy birthday Sasuke, go at it you old dog you! ;)_

_Listen to the song of course, don't read the lemon if you shouldn't (I promise I won't tell…) and please enjoy, tell me what you think, this is only my second one!_

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Naruto or any of the characters in the Anime/Manga. This is a fan fiction purely written for pleasure.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_Song: Armistice, Phoenix_

Shikamaru tried to get Ino's attention, she looked positively petrified as she stared off past his shoulder but she didn't respond to his questions. Glancing back to see what she was looking at his eyes followed her line of sight to the last Uchiha who was glaring daggers at the petite blonde.

Glancing back and forth between the two, Shikamaru watched the interaction between the two in slight confusion, naturally moving in front of Ino to protect her.

He reached down to help the poor girl stand on shaky feet but she never moved her eyes away from the dark haired boy with scarlet eyes. Shikamaru turned to mouth Sasuke off for scaring Ino when without warning the man flickered in front of the two of them, his face inches away from Ino's. "Stay the hell out of my head." He hissed angrily before flickering once again, out of sight.

A shiver ran down Ino's spine and she collapsed against Shikamaru, a weak smile making its way over her lips. "Thanks for helping me Shikamaru-kun…" Shikamaru looked down at her, eyes full of concern.

"What the hell happened Ino?" Ino let out a weak laugh and replied.

"I…did something I shouldn't have…again." Tears welled in her eyes even as the smile stayed plastered on her face. "W-what? Why am I crying?" She asked herself, the fake chuckles slipping past her lips. "I…I'm a shinobi and they don't cry." She furiously rubbed at her face, trying to rid herself of all weakness.

"Ino…" Shikamaru could only watch uselessly as his teammate continued to rub at her eyes even as the tears kept spilling from her eyes.

Looking up at the sky she whispered. "My eyes will be puffy for days…"

Shikamaru's eyes widened for a moment before he grinned and pulled her up. He knew when she was done pitying herself.

"Come on we need to go help the others catch the Ame Nin, hopefully Naruto didn't let them escape again."

Sasuke was pissed off.

More than pissed off. He was ready to kill.

He appeared at the scene where Naruto was fighting off two of the shinobi, the leader stood behind them uselessly. It would be so easy to just move around them while they were fighting and steal the pathetic man away but he was bitter and frustrated.

Grabbing Naruto by the face and shoving him out of the way unceremoniously, Sasuke took his place, ignoring Naruto's indignant questions as he watched his opponents. They were of decent strength, but the fact that they needed to be alive rather than dead was what was making the fight so long.

Sasuke made eye contact with each of the shinobi as he determined their skill. The fact that he was doing nothing but standing there, his sword sheathed seemed to frustrate the two men as they shouted in anger and charged him.

A simple side step and parrying of their blades effectively had them disoriented.

Turning around in order to identify their enemy, Sasuke stood before them, sword pointing directly at the first man, his black hair spiked up at odd angles.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun as the man slowly, almost zombie-like walked forward in a vulnerable position towards the awaiting sword.

The sound of sword ripping through flesh was heard as the Amegakure shinobi ran himself against the Chokuto in Sasuke's hand. The man coughed and blood dripped down his chin as blood gurgled at the back of his throat.

Sasuke turned slightly on his heel and a well placed kick removed the body from his weapon.

Naruto, and the two remaining Ame shinobi looked on with shock. Taking this to his advantage, Sasuke ran towards the last shinobi in his way to the leader and flipped over him, grabbing him from behind and slitting his throat easily. The body fell and Sasuke twirled his Chokuto to get rid of excess blood before sheathing it, his angry eyes on the leader of the group that attacked them, daring him to vex him. "You are now our prisoner. Count yourself lucky; I would have killed you if it were up to me."

Naruto made his way to the man's side and grabbed his arms to bind him, still slightly dazed at the amount of bloodlust and lack of caring his best friend had towards killing. A shiver went down his spine as he realized Sasuke wasn't as good as he seemed at all.

He was just quelling the evil.

Shikamaru and Ino had moved into the field just as Sasuke had finished off the last guy and Ino had whimpered slightly against Shikamaru as she watched him kill so easily.

At least they had gotten the man they needed to.

OoOoOoOoO

The group sat around a campfire, eating a sparse dinner consisting of whatever they could scrounge up or what they had previously packed.

The contestants for the chunnin exams were particularly rambunctious after viewing their first real fight outside the village gates, each trying to reenact their own versions of the story around the fire with Naruto assisting in the chaos.

Good thing they didn't see Sasuke take out the men in cold blood.

Hinata couldn't help but shiver in her seat as she ran the events through her head yet again. She had seen the whole fight with her Byakugan and she had seen Sasuke impale the men on his sword. His expression never changed through the whole ordeal.

She picked at her food, uninterested in eating at the moment.

Her eyes rose to glance at the brooding male with red eyes quickly, trying to identify him with the man who lay atop her a week ago.

The man who she laid in bed with was the very man who killed so easily.

The thought was slightly shocking and she sat there in stunned silence, allowing her thoughts to sink in.

She had been intimate with a man who killed with no thought in passing, as if it were second nature to him. She knew that to be true, his past really did precede him, but when she tried to get her head wrapped around it, it didn't fit her framework of thought.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stood to clean her plate, acknowledging the fact that she could not put food in her mouth when her stomach was as knotted up as it was.

As she scraped the food off her plate and into the designated 'waste disposal' (which was really just an over glorified hole in the ground) her pale eyes flickered up as the dark haired boy of her current thoughts stood and walked towards her, finished with his food as well. He stilled as he saw her bent over washing her plate clean and her eyes met his and widened, a blush infusing her cheeks.

Hinata was the first to look away and Sasuke glanced around, as if to find an escape route from the awkward interaction he knew would happen if he were to engage her. But his pride riddled him and he didn't know what to do.

Instead he continued to walk forward, noticing Hinata's body stiffen as he closed the distance between them with gritted teeth. Forcing the thoughts telling him to touch her into the back of his mind, he languidly slipped past her, not even paying her another glance as he walked away from the campsite and towards the trees, as if that had been his aim all along.

Sighing in relief, Hinata quickly finished up and ran back to the others, not wanting to be alone any longer.

Even though Sasuke had been cool and calm through his movements past her, Sasuke was glad that Hinata didn't follow him or she would have seen him reduced to hyperventilating against a tree, gripping the bark until it bit into his skin as he tried his best not to give in to the urges of the seal.

He wanted her so badly…

A sheen of sweat had made its way over his skin and his plate and utensils lay haphazardly on the ground where he had dropped them in his rush to hold onto something rooted. His throat and mouth were dry and his ragged breaths were not helping him in the least. Chest still heaving, he took the risk of looking past the trees to see if Hinata was still alone. If she was, he would definitely lose control, he could feel it.

_Thank god…_ Sasuke thought as he watched her jog back to the group. Now all he needed to do was get a grip on himself and then everything would be fine. He hated this weakness; it was ironic that he had disposed of enemies so quickly and with ease but he was reduced to _this _state by a mere girl.

Ino watched the interaction between Sasuke and Hinata with intrigued eyes, trying to deduce the relationship between the two. They obviously wanted nothing to do with each other from the way their interaction went, Hinata blushing and looking away and Sasuke positively running with his tail between his legs (okay maybe that was an over exaggeration but when it came to Sasuke, the raising of an eyebrow was an exaggeration for him). But something was going on there; and Ino had been wracking her brain after the attack to figure out what exactly it was.

They had never interacted at social gatherings before, Sasuke and Hinata both stood out of the gaggle of chaos that happened during parties but at opposing sides of the room, never together.

There couldn't be a secret affair going on because Sasuke had been under watch until almost two weeks ago.

So what the hell was going on?

Admitting she wouldn't get any answers just sitting there and speculating, Ino's mind strayed to a way she could get answers. But was it worth the risk…and the wrath of the last Uchiha?

Ino had loved Sasuke ever since the first time she laid eyes on him. His dark brooding shell was just waiting to be cracked and she was determined to be the one to do it. She wasn't sure if it was his bad-boy persona or the mysteries surrounding him but all she knew was that she wanted to change him, to make him happy again (which he seemed to be lacking) and most of all she wanted to possess him.

The hauntingly handsome male that held the attention of all the females young and old alike.

She knew for a fact that she loved him most. She lost her best friend for him and gave up all her favorite foods in order to stay thin and attractive to him. She spent painstaking hours primping and making herself perfect to be on par with him.

Now she knew better than to starve herself as she used to; as she aged she grew wiser to the fact that she was beautiful and confident enough to show him her worthiness the way she was.

However the thoughts that she found in his head threatened to ruin all of her hard work (because learning to love oneself was truly tiring).

The thought that the shy Hyuuga heiress who loved the blonde idiot –Sasuke's best friend- was the being that held the untouchable Sasuke's affections only made it even more pathetic.

While she was pining after Sasuke, wanting him but unable to attain him, Sasuke was doing the same thing towards Hinata it seemed…who was harboring the same feelings towards Naruto. Would the cycle ever end?

Ino stood and wiped at the dirt on her bum as she glanced around, making sure she stayed oblivious to all. Deeming it safe enough, Ino quickly slipped away, blending into the trees and picking her way towards Sasuke, determined to get answers.

She slowed down as she approached where he was, careful to stay a safe distance away as her eyes took in his handsome form. Her eyes widened.

The untouchable, emotionless Uchiha Sasuke was _affected_ by Hinata right before her very eyes. Ino brows crashed down in anger as she watched Sasuke dig his fingers into the dark bark of a tree, his eyes closed as he tried to gather up his wits. She wasn't angry at anyone in particular, just frustrated.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she closed her eyes and focused her chakra on the man of her affections. "_Shintenshin no Jutsu."_ She whispered before her body collapsed and her presence left, moving into Sasuke again.

Her mind roved against his, this time his shields were already set and strong; there was no way through to his true self. Ino felt a small sense of fear run through her as she realized her plan may not work properly; if it did, she would have something to hold over Sasuke's head in order to stay safe from his rage but now…?

Not wanting to give up, she felt along the fortress around his mind, trying to probe a way in. He wasn't fully aware of her presence yet, he had been preoccupied with other things, but he would be alerted to her soon enough. _Maybe I should stop while I'm ahead._ But one thought of Hinata's naked body and the thrill that had gone through Sasuke and she was set on finishing what she started.

_There!_ In his moment of weakness, she found a corresponding weakness in his barriers and shoved her way through, racing through his thoughts like lightning, trying to find out more details about Hinata and Sasuke before he grew strong enough to attack her.

Finding what she needed, she allowed the thoughts to move slowly, determined to pick up any and all information leading to his fixation on the timid Hyuuga.

_Maybe I should tell Shikamaru what I saw._

Wait what? Why was that thought going through her head, she had had that thought hours ago…

_I can't believe Sasuke is having sexual desires towards Hinata; her fashion sense has zero sex appeal!_

What the hell? She wasn't bringing these thoughts up on her own accord…

_Should I tell someone what I saw in Sasuke's head? What could they do anyways, if Neji or Hinata's teammates knew Sasuke would be history…_

Ino floundered as her thoughts moved through her head without her own control, the thoughts she was perusing in Sasuke's mind oddly hazy in her mind. _I can't remember anything I was looking at just moments ago…_Was this some secret jutsu? Why was her mind being probed instead of Sasuke's? She should be seeing and retaining his memories but he was out of her grasp.

Ino mentally gasped as her memories started flowing of their own accord, starting from the moment she entered Sasuke's mind the first time.

_I warned you the first time._ Sasuke's voice reverberated in her mind, entering every corner of her being._ You shouldn't have tried to probe my mind again._

Ino gasped as she slammed back into her body, which was currently being held up against a tree by a snarling Sasuke. He lifted her up only to slam her against the unforgiving bark again, causing her to whimper at the force as she dangled there desperately clawing at the strong hand wrapped around her neck.

Leaning forward until their faces were inches apart, Sasuke glared at her with his Mangekyou fully activated. "What is it with you Yamanakas' that make you so goddamn _nosey_?" Sasuke released some of the pressure on Ino's neck so she could breath. She gulped at the air greedily.

"I-I..I'm sorry Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke growled and cut her off.

"I don't care about your apologies, they mean nothing to me." Ino whimpered again and pleaded with teary eyes. "What did you hope to achieve by invading my mind?" Sasuke demanded. He pressed harder on her windpipe when she didn't answer fast enough. "Well?"

Tears slipped down Ino's pale cheeks as she fought to catch her breath in order to answer the angry male. "I-I…don't know…"

Sasuke sneered and threw her to the ground. "You seemed to be very prepared to anger me in order to find what _intrigued _you so much."

Ino's eyes widened. "Y-you read my mind…? How?"

Sasuke smirked and gripped her shirt, lifting her slightly off the ground as he stared her dead in the eye. "These eyes do much more than _petty tricks_." Ino shuddered at his admission.

They stayed there at an impasse, Sasuke not willing to allow Ino the luxury of getting out of the dangerous position she was in and Ino too afraid to ask what would become of her, her plan had utterly failed in the purest sense.

Deciding to take a different route, Ino slowly ventured. "W-why are you…obsessed with Hinata-chan…?"

Sasuke shook her in anger. "I'm not obsessed!" He growled and turned away, letting go of his hold on her and unceremoniously dropping her to the ground with a thud. Ino didn't move from where she was.

"I-I…love you, you know." Sasuke had his back facing her, his hands roving over his face and hair in frustration. Ino sat up and clutched her knees to her chest, a tiny sob ripping through her chest at the fact that not only did she make Sasuke angry but that he didn't deny the thoughts running through his head. He was downplaying them. Denial. That hurt worse than any fatal wound could.

When he turned to glare at her, waiting for an explanation to her sudden confession, she flinched and looked away, wiping at her tears hurriedly. "The reason I entered your mind…it's because I love you."

Sasuke scoffed. "Last time I checked loved ones didn't force themselves into each others' minds." _Not that I would know._ "Your affections mean absolutely nothing to me.

"Don't do this shit again. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because I have just gotten back in favor of the Hokage; next time it will be your head." Sasuke moved to pick up his discarded eating utensils and started to walk away from the distressed blonde.

"I'm not going to stop you know!" Sasuke paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulders with a bored look on his face. Ino looked him straight in the eyes, arms wrapped around herself. "I'm not going to stop until you finally acknowledge me!"

Sasuke raised a brow idly and turned away condescendingly, not even bothering to look at her. "It's your funeral not mine."

He left her there on the cold ground, smugly taking her dignity with him.

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke was slightly concerned. Ino had had thoughts of going to other people with what she saw in his head and though he could suppress her memories he hesitated to do so.

Call it pride but it would be as if he was admitting he had a serious problem. Still.

He told the Hokage he didn't have any more sexual desires towards Hinata and he was determined to make that a reality, feelings there or not.

But now that he had dashed her dreams, Ino was a liability and knowing her she would open her big mouth soon. _I will be ready when it happens._

He could talk as snidely as he wanted but if he were to be truly honest with himself (which only caused trouble so he usually shied away from doing so) the affliction was getting worse.

The longer in her presence he was, the worse the pain and the headaches got. He had to mentally slap himself more often than not when his mind began to stray into unbidden territory. And worst of all his fingers itched to touch her skin once again.

Because of this, he was highly volatile and frustrated as a few of the genin had seen firsthand; he had managed to irk Naruto –which wasn't hard- and make three of the tykes cry all at the same time.

He was presently stalking angrily behind the rest of the group, keeping as far as possible from the Hyuuga he couldn't seem to shake off. Ino kept giving him fearful glances which secretly made the Uchiha feel quite accomplished; although he hadn't been able to shake her off either, for the time being he lost an annoying fangirl.

Sasuke was brought into alertness when the object of his fascinations piqued up happily to the group, the veins around her eyes engorged. Even that could not detract from his need of her. "I see the gate!"

The genin would usually cheer at such news but one glance at them and Sasuke could only smirk; they all were nervous, looking apprehensively at each other. If they were scared already, it wouldn't be a long exam at all.

Why did that Hyuuga have such a strong hold on him? He knew why exactly, but he hated the unfairness of it all. Even now, his ears were straining to listen to her light, gentle voice as she spoke with her sister happily, their arms intertwined. He wanted to rip them apart and take the younger one's place.

"Hanabi-chan, are you nervous?"

The chestnut haired girl scoffed and raised her chin in a condescending manner, "Of course not Hinata-oneechan! Unlike these other losers, I know what I have to do; win."

Hinata giggled and Sasuke's hands fisted as he fought for control. "Winning isn't everything you know Hanabi-chan…"

"Of course it is! If you don't win, you fail." Hanabi pulled her arm away from her sister's in order to cross them over her chest in a huff. Sasuke watched as Hinata smiled serenely down at her younger sister and patted her head lightly.

"If you must know, during my first chunnin exams, there was only one man who was promoted to Chunnin even though many people won their battles like Naruto." Hanabi's eyes lighted up and she reached up to tug on Hinata's sleeve.

"Ne, ne Hinata-oneechan, who was it?" Hanabi was honestly intrigued. Hinata laughed jovially and moved closer to Hanabi.

"Why don't you guess?"

"Hmmm…" Hanabi looked around at Hinata's peers even though she hadn't told Hanabi the person was among the group. Her eyes lighted upon Sasuke and their eyes met for a few moments before Hanabi turned back and gave Hinata her answer. "Was it Uchiha Sasuke?"

Hinata stiffened at his name and Sasuke's eyes moved to her. She glance back at him quickly, hesitation in her eyes but looked away as soon as his eyes met hers. "N-no it wasn't S-Sasuke-kun, he apparently never finished his battle officially."

Sasuke's eyes widened. She hadn't brought up the fact that he had defected around that time, that he hadn't been there to receive the honor of chunnin even if he had been awarded the position. His battle had in fact been finished but outside the fighting arena.

He had utterly lost against Gaara.

_Ironically enough we're headed to Suna where the one man who has ever really one-upped me is now Kazekage…_

Naruto of all people had to save him; it had been the last straw for him and it caused him to decide to leave in order to get stronger.

The irony of the cycles in their lives caused a dry chuckle to well up in his throat.

"Then who was it Hinata-oneechan?" Hanabi was pouting now, her heels slapping the ground in anger as they continued to walk.

Hinata covered her mouth as she giggled. Then she secretively looked around before pointing at Nara Shikamaru childishly. "Shikamaru-kun did." Hanabi stared open gapped at the pineapple-haired boy.

"What?" Hanabi screeched and turned to her sister in sheer disbelief. "How?"

Hinata waggled her finger and gave her sister a knowing look. "I told you; winning doesn't matter. Although Shikamaru did win his battle, no one else got the honor because Shikamaru showed the skills and the attributes that exemplify a chunnin. That should be your main focus along with winning your battles." Hanabi watched the lazy boy in amazement, analyzing and recalculating her initial impression of him.

Sasuke grit his teeth as he watched the sisters continue their banter, the huge rock formations signifying the entering of Suna village limits surrounding them. Even her voice was affecting his thought process and it was so very frustrating.

After moving through the expansive rock formations, the narrow passage way finally opened up, a gate holding them from their destination.

"Oi, Shikamaru!" The feminine voice called towards the group and Sasuke's eyes sought out the source; a dirty blonde haired girl in a long black kimono and a huge fan standing upright beside her waved exuberantly with a huge grin. Shikamaru grinned in return and waved back.

"Hey!" He called back and approached the woman, clasping her forearm in greeting. "I should have known you would be our handler this year."

"Hope the trip wasn't too troublesome." Temari teased lightly to which Shikamaru grunted, a smirk on his face.

"It was troublesome enough." Grinning, Temari turned her attention to everyone else.

"So is this Konoha's haul for the chunnin exams?" She appraised the group with hard blue eyes before shrugging nonchalantly. "They'll do. Though we have some pretty good entries this year."

"Temari-chan!" Ino grinned and moved to greet the other blonde woman, breaking out of the shell of fear Sasuke had instilled on her during the rest of their trek to their destination.

"Ino-chan, it's nice to see you." The two hugged and Hinata blushed as she walked forward to give her own greeting.

"Hello Temari-san." She gave a small wave before she was enveloped in a hug; Temari being the culprit.

"What did I say about calling me that Hinata-chan?"

"A-ah….Temari-chan…" Temari nodded and turned to peer at Naruto who was throwing a fit for not being noticed first.

"Sai-kun, it is good to see you, thank you again for all your help last summer; Kankuro has been tweaking the puppets you helped us find non-stop." Sai nodded and smiled, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

"It was not a problem at all, I was glad to help."

"Ugh Temari-chan what is with the ignoring?" Naruto continued to rage. Temari glanced over him and moved to Sasuke, her eyes emotionless and her smile gone.

"I heard you had rejoined Konoha and were finally released." Sasuke just crossed his arms and glared at her. She pursed her lips. "Hmph; they shouldn't have been so kind." She turned away from him and finally looked to Naruto, grinning at his tantrum. Sasuke grit his teeth in anger.

"Naruto, you never cease your antics…"

"Well you always ignore me and make me have to act this way!" Naruto pouted and looked away, angry. Temari's eyes softened.

"Kazekage-sama will be happy to see you still as rambunctious as ever." Temari glanced over her shoulder as a Suna shinobi tapped her shoulder to get her attention. After quiet conversing, Temari straightened up and addressed the Konoha party. "Come, the Kazekage wanted to greet you personally before he attends his daily meetings."

Temari lifted her huge fan and easily placed it over her back, leading the group into the sand village.

Sasuke glanced at Hinata once again who was walking and talking with Ino and Temari happily. He growled in his throat in frustration. Women were only the brunt of all his problems…

"If you keep looking at them like that, people may actually get the impression that you're not gay."

Sasuke's eyes snapped to the man walking beside him with the fake smile. It was his replacement on team seven. His eyes narrowed.

"I'm not." Sasuke retorted, unsure as to why he was clearing his name to the guy who wore a belly shirt.

"Oh, really?" Sai looked genuinely surprised which only added to Sasuke's bitterness as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Ah, is this another one of those paradoxes?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided to take the bait. "What the hell are you talking about?" Maybe this conversation could keep his thoughts away from the Hyuuga.

Sai turned to Sasuke and raised his pointer finger as he intelligently explained. "I was reading about social interactions and it said making nicknames may 'break the ice' during conversations."

"Is this going somewhere?" Sasuke asked blandly, looking away.

"Eventually yes." Sai looked at him with utmost seriousness before smiling that weird smile at Sasuke's odd look. "Ah, I apologize that was what you call the 'rhetorical question', no?"

"Hn."

"As I was saying, I used a nickname with girls such as Sakura-san; I was told that using attributes of a person would enable you to make effective nicknames. I called Sakura-san ugly." Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that arose on his face. Glancing at the pale boy beside him out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sai wasn't done, and instead looked off ahead with a confused expression on his face.

"In actuality," Sai continued. "I thought since people value honesty above all, it was kind of hypocritical of people to be angry when I am only giving them what they want."

"You'd be surprised." Sasuke drawled, actually quite enjoying the conversation. Sai nodded in answer.

"I was surprised." He caught himself and smiled again as he realized his error. "Sorry, I forget the sayings aren't literal." Sasuke shrugged and Sai faced forward again. "So I instead decided that lying must be the way to make interactions; Naruto told me never to call Choji 'fat' and such. So the next person I met," He pointed to Ino. "I called 'gorgeous'." Sasuke snorted and coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his amusement.

"However even then, I found myself in a comprising position because Sakura-san was enraged. Either way didn't work." Sai glanced at Sasuke. "That is why I said people may no longer think you're gay."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sai looked away, his face expressionless. "Eh?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he turned to get a better view of the pale look-a-like beside him, beginning to get a peculiar feeling. "What do you mean 'that's why you said people will no longer think I'm gay'? Are insinuating that I am or are you lying?"

Sai smiled his eye crinkling smile. "Hmm, I wonder what it is."

Sasuke was no longer amused nor enjoying himself.

"Which the hell is it?" Sasuke's voice rose slightly and Sai watched him carefully.

"You are angered, are you not?"

"Why don't you answer me and find out?" Sasuke bit out.

"Well I've seen how you look at Hinata-san…but Konohamaru-kun wouldn't put us together in his sexy jutsu unless he had valid inklings…do you like me Sasuke-san?" Sai smiled again and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Shock from Sai's ability to easily perceive his obsession with Hinata without previous knowledge as to its background or the very blunt question Sasuke wasn't quite sure; maybe both.

"I told you I'm not gay." Sasuke knew if he allowed himself to become angry it would only bring attention upon himself. _After doing it with the Hyuuga…definitely not gay._

"Oh." Sai looked up in thought for a moment and then held his finger up again. "Well then I believe I will keep my answer privy to myself alone; it is not my intention to anger anyone."

"You already have angered me!" Sasuke raged and stalked off, a confused Sai following hurriedly.

"How can you be angry, I didn't tell you if I thought you were gay or not!"

OoOoOoOoO

When they arrived in the receiving room of the Kazekage equivalent of the Hokage tower, they were met by the fiery red mop of the Kazekage himself.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled happily and ran to his friend's side, pulling him into a hug. Gaara just stood there as he was jostled by Naruto's exuberance, expressionless.

"Naruto!" Kankuro yelled from his position in the corner of the room, tinkering with a small hand puppet. "Just because you've been chosen to be the next Hokage doesn't mean you can greet Gaara that way."

Naruto smirked and stuck his tongue out at the older brother. "You're just jealous."

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you wish."

Clearing his throat to silence the group, Gaara walked forward and addressed the chunnin contestants. "Welcome to Sunagakure, I am the Kazekage." The genin all looked on in awe, a few even bowing respectfully.

"I don't see what's so great about him," Konohamaru quipped, looking away disrespectfully. Gaara turned to Naruto slightly, eyes questioning.

"Konohamaru-kun! Gaara is awesomely strong you better give respect!" Naruto admonished, bopping the boy on the head.

"Sorry, sorry!" Konohamaru bowed along with the group and muttered. "Sorry Kazekage-sama…"

Ignoring the boy, Gaara continued. "You're chunnin exams are to be held here for the next month. The first day of tests will be tomorrow." The genin gasped and murmured fearfully amongst themselves.

"Quiet!" Temari barked and they quieted instantly. Sighing slightly at all the interruptions, Gaara turned and look out the window to wait for a few moments before turning around to try again.

"Most of your Jounin instructors have arrived already and once you are released from here you are to report to them, you will find escorts waiting for you downstairs.

"Once you leave here you are no longer comrades but competitors, don't forget that during these exams or you will find yourselves going home as genins or not at all." Gaara made eye contact with each of the students, his icy gaze boring into theirs. "Take your time to say your goodbyes and proceed downstairs to find your instructors; best of luck to you all."

Released from Gaara's attention, Hanabi ran to her sister, giving her a hug. "Good luck Hanabi-chan, do your best!" Hinata's smile became slightly watery as she held her sister.

"I'll be fine Hinata-oneechan, you'll see!" Hanabi looked down a moment before looking back up into her sister's lavender eyes. "Ano, actually may I ask a favor onee-chan?"

"Anything, Hanabi-chan." Hinata replied instantly, her hand on Hanabi's shoulders.

"Can you not watch my exams?" Hinata's eyes widened.

"E-eh?" Hurt and confusion danced across her features as she pulled away to watch her sister more closely. "Why not H-Hanabi?"

Hanabi's mouth thinned into a straight line. "Because…I want to do this on my own and I won't be able to focus if you're watching; that's why I asked Otou-sama not to come."

Hinata hesitated for a few moments but finally relented. "Okay Hanabi-chan, if that's what you truly want…" Hanabi nodded with determined eyes.

"Yes it is Hinata-oneechan."

"Okay well I won't see you before I go so come home a chunnin." Hinata smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to her shorter sister's forehead. Hanabi rolled her eyes but smiled back as she turned to follow the rest of the genin downstairs. Temari placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder and she turned towards the blonde.

"Didn't it seem like only yesterday when we were preparing to grow up just like them?"

Hinata nodded a sad smile on her face. "It does Temari-chan."

"Oh!" Naruto yelled suddenly and bit into his thumb before pressing it against the floor. "_Kuchinose no Jutsu_!" With a puff of smoke a small frog appeared before the group, saluting his summoner.

"Yo!" The frog greeted before gagging and opening his mouth wide. The Amegakure shinobi that attacked them earlier was regurgitated, sticky and wet with slime.

"Gaara, this is an Amegakure ninja that attacked us on the way here; we thought you'd like to handle him." Naruto explained with gusto.

Staring grimly at the unconscious man, Gaara called to his brother. "Kankuro can you send for the interrogation team to come pick him up?" Kankuro grinned and nodded.

"Can I help them with the interrogating?" Gaara raised a non-existent brow and then gave a curt nod.

"If that's what you wish." Kankuro's grin grew wider.

Gaara then spoke to the remaining rookie nine in the room. "We will deal with the details tomorrow. Please rest here for tonight and join me for dinner before you leave; even the ones who will be staying here will not have time once the exams begin."

Gaara gave no room for leeway.

OoOoOoOoO

Dinner was a boisterous affair, Naruto, Kankuro, Temari and Ino making up the most of the conversing.

Sasuke, Sai and Gaara were watching the festivities in relative silence, speaking only when spoken to whereas Hinata piped up when she felt the need to comment.

Ino noticed for the fourth time as Sasuke leered at Hinata in an almost perverse way as Hinata absentmindedly licked her spoon for the rest of her sweet treat.

Though Ino was quite fearful of what Sasuke would do to her if she tried to interfere again, she still couldn't give him up. There was only one thing left that she could do and that would be to tell someone she trusted about what she found in Sasuke's mind. Though there wasn't much they could do, at least telling someone trustworthy enough would allow her to have peace of mind from the terrible secret she had stumbled upon.

Glancing over at Shikamaru who was deep in conversation with a grinning Temari she decided she would tell him; he was trustworthy and with his I.Q. he would know better than her what should or could be done to turn this unfavorable outcome in her favor.

Ino glanced back at Hinata who was politely engaging the Kazekage, sympathetic to his awkwardness in the social arena. They seemed to be having a nice enough time and Ino couldn't help the jealousy that flared within her; how could she be so oblivious to Sasuke's affections?

When Shikamaru yawned and rose to turn in for the night, Ino scrambled to do the same, making sure Sasuke didn't notice her act as she slipped after her teammate.

Quickly following Shikamaru down the hall, she bit her lip in frustration as she lost sight of him, but was unwilling to give up. She was suddenly yanked back and into a small alcove, her body pressed against the wall and her mouth covered by a hand.

Before she could scream however the other person held a finger up to his mouth alerting her to keep quiet and her body instantly relaxed once she realized who exactly it was.

Leaning past the corner to peer into the hallway, Ino couldn't help the small gasp that caught in her throat when Sasuke walked down the hall, glancing around carefully before continuing on his way to their separate quarters. She would have been caught red handed!

"So what do you need to tell me?" Her savior asked, a lazy smirk gracing his features.

"Shikamaru-kun how did you know?" Ino asked, clutching onto his sleeve in order to keep her bearings.

"When you have something you can't keep to yourself you tend to fidget and trust me you were doing that all through dinner." Ino laughed sheepishly but quickly sobered up.

"Shika-kun," Ino relapsed into her nickname for the lazy boy. "I don't know how to even begin, and I know this will sound insane, but hopefully you'll believe me when I tell you this…"

"Yes?" Shikamaru grinned and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'll just come out and say it…." Ino blushed and looked away as she relayed her new found information. "When I entered Sasuke's mind, I found something in there…that I probably shouldn't have." Shikamaru's brows crashed in anticipation and he nodded for Ino to continue.

"I don't know what it was, a day dream, a hallucination of some sort, a sick _fantasy_ or something along those lines, but I saw Hinata in Sasuke's head." She paused here for dramatic flourish. "Naked." Another pause. "Doing _things_ to him."

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he cursed under his breath as he stood and got into Ino's face, glancing back in the direction Sasuke had disappeared. Turning back to her he stared into her eyes, trying to find a hint of a lie. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" Ino nodded feverently, spooked by Shikamaru's reaction.

"Ne, Shikamaru-kun, what's wrong? Why are you getting so worked up?" Ino could only stand there as her teammate paced in the small space they inhabited.

"No reason." Shikamaru retorted distractedly, his eyes on the floor. He looked at her again. "You're positive that's what you saw?"

"How many times do I have to tell you for you to believe me Shikamaru?" He sighed and stopped walking.

"From what Tsunade-sama told me to watch out for, this isn't boding well at all." Shikamaru murmured, almost as an aside to himself.

"Eh? What did Tsunade-sama warn you about?" Ino couldn't help her nosey side.

Shaking his head Shikamaru cleared his throat and nodded towards the direction Sasuke left. "Tonight we're going to watch Sasuke and see what happens okay?" Ino gave a quizzical stare.

"W-why? I just wanted to get it off my chest…not start something."

"Well, we need to make sure he doesn't try anything." He patted her head awkwardly. "You did good by telling me."

Shooing his hand away Ino grimaced at her teammate and rolled her eyes. "Yeah whatever…"

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke sat stiffly on his bed in the loaned room, hands balled into fists on his knees.

He was trying his best to subdue the growing need for the petite heiress.

Every time he thought he succeeded in keeping the feelings at bay he caught himself thinking about her….most of the thoughts revolving around how amazing it would be to have her body against his.

_No I can't do that again! I've already done the worst thing possible to her._

_Well then what's the harm in doing it again?_ His mind just loved to contradict him didn't it? His stupid, addled, sex obsessed brain…

No he could do this; he could control this affliction once and for all. Sure he failed once but he would just force himself to do the right thing, maybe it was like normal addictions; once the initial reactions were defeated, the pride and strength gained from doing so helped combat future relapses.

Allowing himself to fall back on the bed and curl around himself in order to keep most of the pain at bay, Sasuke idly allowed himself to reach out his chakra.

Hinata was already in her room and alone.

It would be so easy to just go in there and….

And what? Force her to do what he wanted? What he knew was wrong to expect from her?

_Goddamnit Sasuke hold it together._ Sasuke grit his teeth against the pain as a wave of shudders ran through his body.

Where did all of his determination go?

Determination was what allowed him to never lose sight of his track to avenging his clan; it was what gave him the strength and prestige (though severely marred now) that he had had as a shinobi.

If he didn't have his determination anymore, what was he? Definitely not strong.

And he lost his prestige long ago.

_I am weak…._Sasuke thought idly as he watched the ceiling fan spin above him, wobbling slightly towards the right. He couldn't even bring the strength to lift his head, the pain reverberating through was that strong.

But going through all of this pain, fighting his insufferable need…wasn't that strength on its own?

It may be honorable to try but it just seemed weak to him as well.

He was fearful of what he could do. When did he care about others?

_Of all people though…it isn't right to do that to her, to expect that of her._

She had allowed him to take what he shouldn't once…dare he ask again? Now that he had already robbed the bank so to speak, he may as well clear it out.

_It would stop my symptoms and make me sane again…_ another wave of pain reduced him to a gasping mess. _It's getting worse…it's as if the seal knows I have the perfect opportunity to get to her._

It made sense, the seal was on his brain and thus fed through his mind where the worst of the symptoms lied. If Sasuke knew he could easily get to Hinata whether it be consciously or instinctually, it would only transcribe that the seal would activate in response to that.

_There must be something I can do._

OoOoOoOoO

"Shikamaru-kun, I'm all for peeping on Sasuke, but why exactly are we doing this again?" Ino whined, hating being left in the dark.

Sighing for the fifth time in less than ten minutes, Shikamaru motioned for her to continue to follow him down the hall towards Sasuke's temporary room. "We need to make sure whatever you saw in Sasuke's head isn't being acted upon."

"But it was just a delusion! It's not something he really wanted to do or whatever!" Ino huffed in answer, quick to defend her crush. There was no way he wanted to do those things with Hyuuga Hinata cute or not!

_If only she knew the half of it…_Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the thought. _I'd probably have to protect Hinata from Ino as well._

Reaching the door to the Uchiha's room, Shikamaru and Ino both gave each other apprehensive looks. They had to make sure nothing weird was going on.

Knocking on the door, Shikamaru waited with abated breath, Ino huddling behind him. He gave her an annoyed glance and she chuckled dryly. "Sorry…"

Nothing. Shikamaru knocked again.

Again nothing. _Shit this does not seem good…_

Reaching into his jacket pocket to reveal his standard issue lock pick, Shikamaru crouched down so he could maneuver the lock on the door easier.

Ino shook with nervousness, glancing around in paranoia. "Shika-kun we shouldn't be doing this…c-come on he may just b-be asleep already." The lock clicked and the door opened slightly, the inside dark.

Grabbing the handle, Shikamaru shook his head at the blonde. "We have to be sure."

Slipping into the darkness of the room with a fearful Ino clutching the back of his shirt, Shikamaru allowed his eyes to accommodate the darkness before his gaze landed on a lean figure lying on the bed, back facing them. Ino sighed in relief. "S-see…? Just asleep." She tugged at his collar and they left the room just as quietly, replacing the door just the way it had been earlier.

"Can we go now Shikamaru-kun? I don't want to get caught." Shikamaru's brows were drawn, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"We need to check Hinata's room." Ino's eyes widened and she punched his arm lightly.

"Shikamaru! You're not going to get me in trouble! Hinata-chan will be freaked out if we do what you just pulled here to her room!" Ino crossed her arms and pouted.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Shikamaru kept his eyes closed as he answered her. "Just because we saw Sasuke in his room doesn't mean he's actually in his room." He gave her a pointed look and Ino gasped in realization.

"It could have been a clone!"

Nodding, Shikamaru placed his lock picking kit back in its designated spot. "I didn't want to go further and check if it was just in case it was the real Sasuke, because then we would be the ones trespassing-"

"And he would kill us." Ino interrupted in a hushed tone as they moved towards Hinata's room.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic."

It was Ino who knocked on the door to Hinata's room, giving Shikamaru a warning glance when he procured his picking kit once again. She muttered something about women's privacy under her breath to which Shikamaru replied, "So troublesome…"

OoOoOoOoO

When Hinata opened the door she gasped and pulled back as if the metal handle had burned her.

Then she realized who exactly was at the door.

She instantly moved to push the door closed but a well placed foot stopped her movement and try as she may, the door wouldn't budge.

Realizing she wouldn't be able to lock him out, she backed away from the door, eyes furtively looking around for another exit. Suna's windows were too small to escape through and there was no balcony for her to slip through; the only view outside were the sand dunes and the occasional sandstorm.

The tall figure walked through the door and kicked it shut surprisingly gentle.

"S-Sasuke-kun what are you doing here…?" Hinata whimpered, unable to look him in the eye.

He sighed in answer and glanced around the barren room, an exact replica of his own empty one.

"I'm unable to help myself." He uttered, steadily walking closer to her. Hinata stumbled in her rush to escape his grasp, her arms moving to cover herself.

"W-what do you mean? D-didn't you get what you n-need already?" Sasuke winced at the words even though she did not say it unkindly. She was sincerely asking but the fact that he was about to give in once more grated his nerves.

He jerked his head once in a negative. "Apparently it was worse than we all thought."

Hinata hit the wall and Sasuke's hands came to rest on either side of her head, his dark eyes an arm's length away from hers. "W-what do you mean?" Hinata turned her face as she shied away from the dark haired man. He leaned closer and inhaled her scent; the smell of lavender and the essence of femininity sending his hormones in a frenzy. He couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.

Taking a deep breath that shuddered through his whole being ( a totally different shudder that had been wracking his body minutes ago) Sasuke's forehead slowly pressed against Hinata's and she whimpered at the contact, a blush staining her cheeks.

"My need for you hasn't left." Sasuke stated bluntly, reaching one hand to trace the outline of her neck down to the protruding collarbone that barely peeked out underneath her undershirt. Hinata's eyes lidded as he touched her, a gasp escaping her quivering lips.

In a quick dodge of utter bravery considering the circumstances, Hinata ducked under Sasuke's arm and slipped away from him, backpedalling towards the opposite wall. The door was too far away to reach; Sasuke would easily catch her if she went for it right away.

Sasuke tried to fight his body and mind which were both pointing him towards grabbing hold of the indigo haired girl once again, but the pain proved to be too much and he shook his head as he clutched at it, trying to erase the thoughts and the relieve the pain.

Hinata heard Sasuke suck in his breath at the pain and watched on in sadness as he was reduced to leaning over, trying to get a grasp on himself.

Hinata's blush didn't leave but she couldn't help the side of her that wanted to reach out and make everything better for the grief stricken man; because grief in each and every sense only seemed to follow the Uchiha wherever he went.

Not believing what she was doing even as she did it, Hinata closed the gap between the two of them, pressing her smaller hands against Sasuke's as they held his head in pain.

The closer proximity instantly evaporated the symptoms and he stood to his full height slowly, scared of another backlash. Hinata's hands still held his.

"It still h-hurts you?" Now that she was slightly in control of the situation (not really) her stutter grew less pronounced.

Sasuke began to nod and then stopped himself, knowing his head was sensitive. "I've been trying to manage it but it only gets worse as time goes on." He groaned as if to prove the point.

"W-why are you here…?" Hinata reiterated, her pearly eyes guarded. "What do you expect me t-to do?"

Sasuke's eyes widened at her perfect evaluation of the situation. That was why he was there wasn't it? So she could do something to stop the pain.

"I don't know…" Sasuke grew frustrated at the situation. He didn't want to look so weak, to be so weak as to ask her for help but he knew the only way to become sane, to be rid of the burden of this affliction was with her help and hers alone. "You are the only one who can help m-me." His fingers twitched in her hands as the seal sent another rush of need through his veins.

Hinata dropped his hands instantly at the movement and watched him doubled over in pain. It didn't take her long to answer him. "How a-am I supposed to help you?"

Sasuke swallowed hard and looked at her through his bangs. "I'm not sure. The only time this pain goes away is after…" Hinata's blush grew tenfold and he knew he didn't need to finish his sentence for her to understand.

"B-but it's obviously back."

Sasuke nodded and buried his hands into his shirt, hoping to keep his hands to himself. "It's a temporary fix for the problem." He gave her a pointed look and she easily picked up his connotation.

"So this…temporary cure…w-will need to be 'administered' often." It was easier on both of them if they talked as if this problem Sasuke had was a medical one and not a sick obsession.

"Yes." His eyes stared into her white ones, and Hinata saw a pleading Sasuke was not consciously bringing forth. This was so much more complicated than her alone. Even though she had been stupid to fall for it once before, who was she to go back on the words she used to convince even herself to help him a week ago?

Taking a deep breath before she took the plunge, Hinata opened her eyes and answered Sasuke. "I do not go back on my word. I said that I would help you Sasuke-kun, and I will. It is my Nindo way."

Sasuke's hold on his senses instantly broke as soon as she uttered the words to his release.

His hands gripped her upper arms tightly as his lips crushed against her own, kneading and hungry.

Hinata gasped at the forcefulness of his touch and tried to move back instinctually, only to be pulled closer to the dark haired male, her body pressed flush against his.

She pushed against his shoulders when it got hard to breathe and he relented, his lips instantly slipping down to the joint between her neck and her shoulder. His finger hooked on to the neck of her shirt and slowly slipped it further and further down as his lips moved farther away from his starting point.

He glanced up at her from his position and she blinked owlishly at him from beneath her lashes, blushing.

His hands landed on her hips and he squeezed, causing Hinata to squeak and jump at the forwardness of the action. His lips moved back to hers, his tongue licking her bottom lip and begging for entrance.

Inexperienced, Hinata didn't respond fast enough so Sasuke squeezed her breast and took advantage of her gasp to delve his tongue deep within her mouth, his tongue roiling against her own.

Hinata's knees went weak at the ministrations and Sasuke's arm wrapped around her waist in order to support her weight as he slipped his other hand under her shirt, tickling the underside of her breast.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" Hinata gasped when he squeezed her too hard; he was doing that a lot. He didn't apologize but he rubbed the area gently, causing her to shudder from the new feeling.

She was leaning heavily on Sasuke, unable to support herself under all of the new sensations. She had gone through this once before so why did all of his touches feel like they were for the first time?

Sasuke slowly walked her backwards and towards the bed, his lips igniting flames along her very skin. Hinata was gasping for air, her hands sliding into his hair in order to have some grip of what was real and what was in her head.

Falling onto the bed, Sasuke settled himself to the side of her, his lips fused against her own as he allowed his hands to roam freely, taking his sweet time. He felt the anticipation build as he forced himself to slow down and it just added to his need, promising a wonderful release in the end. His lips moved to her neck, alternating between kissing and suckling as he played with the hem of her shirt.

The shirt was the first to fall prey to his need, easily falling to the ground as he discarded it without hesitation. His shirt joined hers, Hinata's hands slowly sliding up the expanse of his chest as he fisted his hand in her hair and raised her head to meet his hungry lips.

He positively devoured her, biting and sucking at her bottom lip as she gasped and moaned beneath him, her tiny movements only adding to his want. But he wanted to see more of her, peruse her body in a way he hadn't been able to in his rush the last time.

OoOoOoOoO

**Lemon**

(Link can be found in profile)

OoOoOoOoO

Sasuke groaned and buried his face in Hinata's hair, his body giving in after expending so much energy. Hinata fought to catch her breath, her heart pounding as she lay in Sasuke's arms, unsure of what exactly would become of her and the brooding Uchiha.

OoOoOoOoO

"See I told you she was sleeping quietly in her room!" Ino stage whispered as she shut the door and threw Shikamaru's picks at him in distaste. He barely caught them and growled at her in anger.

"So I was wrong, it doesn't hurt to be careful." Shikamaru bit out and turned on his heel stiffly, not wanting to deal with the pig-headed woman anymore. She followed him at a brisk walk, not relenting.

"I told you it was just something I saw in his head, not an actual memor-"

"Hey guys!" Naruto grinned and waved as he walked towards them. "Where are you guys coming from?"

"None of your business!" Ino yelled.

"Hinata's room." Shikamaru answered Naruto's question with a roll of his eyes in the blonde girl's direction.

"Oh cool!" Naruto nodded in approval before he stopped and rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "Wait did you say Hinata's room?"

Shikamaru and a reluctant Ino nodded.

Naruto gave them an odd glance as if to say 'yeahhhh…riiiiiiight…' "You do know her room is in the east wing right? I walked her there myself after dinner."

Shikamaru and Ino glanced at one another in confusion. "Why were we looking for her anyways?" Ino asked, her speech slightly slurred.

Shikamaru pressed a hand against his head as if it would help him think. "I can't remember for some reason…"

Naruto shrugged at the two shinobi in front of him. "Must not have been that important then, you guys should go to bed, you both have a big day tomorrow. G'night!" And Naruto walked off with his hands crossed over his head.

"Goodnight…" The two team ten members murmured before giving each other another look and going off to their separate rooms.

* * *

_So to clear any confusion, Sasuke had used genjustu to cause Ino and Shikamaru to look into the wrong rooms and see them 'sleeping'. That's why Naruto was skeptical when they said they had been to Hinata's room. Then, much like when Ino tried to read Sasuke's mind a second time and instead hers was being probed and she couldn't remember what she saw in his mind, Shikamaru and Ino no longer remember why they were looking for Hinata. This doesn't mean that they don't know about Sasuke's affliction towards Hinata anymore; Sasuke just took out the simple thought they had of wanting to check up on her. I hope this was a satisfactory chapter, and let me tell you it was really hard to write this (the lemon was the worst…)! Ask questions if you want, I will always answer if they are signed and no question is too insignificant! :)_

_Also I'm planning on writing a teaser for a new fic I have planned, if you want to know what it's kind of like/based on, I drew my inspiration from the Manga Vagabond (I got the idea while rereading it). It does not follow the storyline of the Manga but if you haven't read Vagabond you definitely need to do that as soon as possible, it is the story about one of the, if not the great men in Japanese history, Miyamoto Musashi. Also watch the Samurai Trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune if reading is not up your alley (oops I gave you a clue on what it's about! ;); and if that name sounds like a Naruto character, yes, Kishimoto named the samurai leader of the land of Iron after the actor because he was so great and played such an important historical person/samurai in general. If Kishimoto revered it enough, you should definitely try it out! Please read and review and tell me how I did with the lemon! I need constructive criticism._

_Until next time,_

_Trinity Effect_


	8. Author's note

Hey everyone, I know that this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but classes are starting up again for the fall and that means I must go on Hiatus once again. I promise to work hard and try my best to get stuff out, but this year is quite important and as such I won't have the time. Please understand and I hope you'll continue to enjoy and read my stories as they are updated.

Thank you so much for all of your praise and support, I love each and every one of you and I'm so happy that something that seems so insignificant at first can be shared with all of you and make me as happy as it has made me. Every day I think about the family here on fanfiction, each one of whom are so encouraging, thoughtful and bright with so much to offer.

The next story I will be updating will be 'The Little Things in Life'(this may only be updated way later but it will be the one I start with), and after that, the updates will end up being whichever story gets the most reviews for the last chapter that is posted. This is because both of my stories have a big reading pool and I want whoever is most excited for it, to get the chance to read. Also this is more fair to the more zealous readers ;)

Also some extra news, Hinaxanyone has made a wonderful fanart piece for my story 'Libido', please go view it and give her your support! If anyone else wants to make fanart for any of my stories I would be so happy! XD If you want to ask me questions to get a better understanding of a scene in order to, don't hesitate to ask, also I have one future scene of Libido that I really want to see come to life; I may even commission for it if people are willing…let's get to that point in the story first though ;)

Also if you haven't already, I wrote a teaser for the third story I'm going to write (yes this means it will continue!) called 'Towards the Sun'. Please go read it if you haven't already and give me your honest opinions and critics. I treasure everything each and every one of you has to say, so please don't be shy.

Don't fret, I will be continuing these stories, I won't stop until I do and this summer is proof that I haven't given up and I will continue to write even after long absences. This sounds like a goodbye letter, but it is just the beginning, if I don't update during the fall semester, please look out for me during winter break!

Until next time,

Trinity Effect


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